Dead Men Don't Bite
by Leioa15
Summary: Patroclus' story. Patroclus lives and is taken prisoner. Events are pretty much the same, but the story is focused on Patroclus-he eventually finds love, yadda yadda etc. Better summary at beggining. Savvny n sorry! (Title is subject to change now)
1. Chapter 1

Brief summary that was too long to write earlier:  
  
Basically what happened was that when Hector was fighting Patroclus (disguised as Achilles), his helmet got knocked off and Hector saw that it wasn't Achilles whom he was fighting. Hector and his men take Patroclus prisoner while Achilles believes they have killed him and have taken his body, hence Achilles' anger and hate for Hector. When Achilles challenges Hector, Hector doesn't have time to tell Achilles that his cousin is still alive. Achilles proceeds to kill Hector, prince of Troy, and takes his body back among the Myrmidons like, as he thought, Hector had taken Patroclus' body back to Troy.  
  
"Damn!"  
  
Patroclus had forgotten his manners and swore. He didn't care. He kicked the ground as he swore again. He ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair and sighed. He looked around the cell. It was dark and poorly lighted. Why shouldn't it be? Why did prisoners of Troy need to see anything but their death?  
  
Patroclus wasn't sure whether to thank or curse the Trojans for sparing his life earlier that day. Why did Hector let him live? He was going to kill him eventually, was he not? Maybe Hector was thinking about the idea that Troy would fall. It surely would, no doubt in Patroclus' mind. But what if Hector was thinking to that day? Maybe he believed that by sparing Achilles' kin that maybe Achilles would spare Hector's family if it came to that.  
  
Maybe the prince had common sense after all. Patroclus was almost surprised that, when he ran up that hill to face Hector as Achilles, that no one stopped him. Not even remotely noticed, actually. Well, maybe that was just because Achilles had taught him how to fight. How to fight like him.  
  
Patroclus shrugged and leaned against the cold hard wall. The floor was sand and dirt, nothing more. He slid down the wall and onto the sand. He could see the footprints of other men still imprinted in the ground. Where were those men now? He shivered at the thought. Wherever they were, he would surely be joining them. 


	2. Chapter 2

She saw him when the guards first brought him in. He was tall, with shoulder length blond hair and armor- no doubt a soldier and, now, a prisoner of war. Under that armor, she was sure, there were well-tuned muscles.  
  
That morning, like all the others, she had felt the ground shake and heard shouting and yelling. The sounds of men dying. She could see the new prisoner in his cell, her old cell, pacing back and forth.  
  
She looked at him again. He was now sitting, as she was, leaning against the wall. She smiled; he seemed to be thinking.  
  
There were only a few people in the cells at that time. Her, the new prisoner, and three more, far down the row. There weren't many during the war because the normal guards were out fighting.  
  
She was quite sure who this man was in front of her.  
  
"You're Patroclus, are you not?"  
  
Patroclus looked around quickly, not sure where he had heard that voice. On first impulse, he knew it was a feminine voice- a woman. When he first heard that voice he thought of that girl Achilles had saved. If he said something, he knew the voice would speak more.  
  
"Yes," he said uncertainly, "How do you know me?"  
  
He waited, straining to hear the voice. A minute, perhaps, passed and he heard nothing. Maybe he had just imagined it.  
  
"I don't"  
  
Patroclus looked up; he had thought the voice had come from the cell in front of him.  
  
"I've heard the guards talk about you"  
  
Now he was sure where the voice was coming from.

"Who are you?" Patroclus asked. It wasn't until after he had spoken that he realized that was a pretty stupid question. He refined his question: "Are you a Spartan? Or maybe a Trojan?"  
  
The owner of the voice chuckled to herself. Patroclus saw something move in the shadows of the other cell. It moved to the sidewall, into the light. It was, as he expected, a girl. She looked about his age, maybe a year younger. She sat on the sand floor, leaning her back on the dirty wall, her knees bent in front of her. She rested her forearms on her knees, rubbing her hands.  
  
"That's the question everyone asks, isn't it? 'Trojan or Spartan?'. It used to be, 'What's your name?' 'What're you in for' Nope- not anymore"  
  
Patroclus watched her as she smiled slightly and cast a sideward glance at him. He caught her gaze and she blinked.  
  
"What's the answer?" Patroclus asked about his original question.  
  
The girl rolled her eyes. "I lived in Troy, but I don't call myself by any nation"  
  
Patroclus nodded. She already knew he wasn't a Trojan.  
  
"It's strange, don't you think?"  
  
He frowned. "What?"  
  
"That people give what nation they live in almost as a name. I find it odd that when you say where you are from, it could mean life or death. So I just don't stay in one place long enough to have to carry that burden"  
  
Patroclus smiled. "Smart"  
  
She smiled back at him.  
  
"So, what is your name?" he asked.  
  
She raised an eyebrow and sighed. "I will not waste my breath- I am not sure if it is wise to allow the cousin of Achilles my name"  
  
"The cousin of Achilles," he said defiantly, "was taught to fight like Achilles so well that not even Achilles' own men knew the difference"  
  
He _hated_ it when he was referred to Achilles' cousin.  
  
"Remind me to have you show me your fighting techniques _when _and _if_ you get out of there"  
  
He sighed. She had a point. Threatening the girl didn't help.  
  
"What did you do to get in here?" he asked.  
  
She took a deep and unsteady breath and stood up. She shook sand and dirt from her long dirty brown dress. It clung to her body and wasn't supposed to enhance her assets, but it did. Patroclus watched her. She was tall and slender with long brown hair. He couldn't see what color her eyes were.  
  
She stepped towards the metal bard; she was barefoot. She leaned her forearms and head on the bars and looked at him. She avoided his question, and when he stood, she asked, "Did they find it yet?"  
  
She asked the question flatly. He frowned. "Find what?"  
  
She frowned, "I guess not". She shook her head and looked down the hallway to see if guards were around. They were not.  
  
"The back right corner of your cell. You will find a piece of cloth in the sand. Something is wrapped in it," she said softly.  
  
He frowned and swallowed. He took a deep breath and went to the back right corner. He knelt on the ground and pushed his hand into the sand. He inched his fingers deeper and deeper through the grains. Patroclus touched something hard and in cloth. He glanced back at the girl and she was standing where she had been  
  
He proceeded to pull out the object. It was in a deep red cloth. He placed the item on the ground and withdrew the cloth from it. A dagger. He frowned and stood up, the knife in his hand. _'Maybe this girl is smarter than she looks'_, he thought.  
  
"How did you know this was there?"  
  
She took a deep breath and sighed. "That used to be my cell"  
  
"Who _are_ you?" Patroclus asked in disbelief. For all he knew, she could be Helen of Sparta! Well, Helen of Troy- whatever that woman was calling herself these days.  
  
She smiled slightly. "No one you would be familiar with"  
  
He sat down against the wall as she bit her lip lightly.  
  
He looked at the dagger, inspecting it. It had a long blade and a silver handle with some sort of engravings in it; it was polished well.  
  
He looked back up at her. She was still standing, her hair around her shoulders. "How long have you been here?"  
  
She took a breath and said flatly, "A while" Her face remained emotionless as she said it.  
  
After he had put the dagger back where it was, under her instructions, he told her of the Battle of Troy. He told her of Achilles and how he saved his lover, Briseis.  
  
"Her name sounds familiar. She was a priestess in the Temple of Apollo"  
  
Patroclus nodded. "You are a priestess as well then?"  
  
The girl shook her head. "No"  
  
"Then what are you?" he asked softly.  
  
"I am no one," she said softly. She pulled all her long hair over one shoulder and tilted her head towards Patroclus. Now, she almost wanted him to know her name. She had been waiting a long time to find someone who she would attempt to escape with. And now, she had found him. He was perfect.  
  
Patroclus was a soldier who could fight off guards, and she knew the way out and how to get out of their cells, for that matter.  
  
"My name is Vara"  
  
Patroclus smiled._ 'So she has a name, after all, then'_  
  
"So, Patroclus, why aren't you dead? The Trojans usually never take prisoners..."  
  
He sighed and tilted his head up, looking at the ceiling. "Hector took pity on me"  
  
"Hector is a wise man"  
  
Patroclus looked over at her again. "Why? Because he is going to be King of Troy?"  
  
Vara looked at him plainly, her face tilted. "No," she said simply, "he is a wise man because he didn't kill you"  
  
He thought about that. '_What did she mean?'_  
  
"If he had killed you, Achilles would have been furious. Your death might have given the Myrmidons an advantage. Achilles would have stopped at nothing to avenge you, and you know it. But by not killing you, Achilles has to be careful. Hector may tell them that if they leave, your life will be spared. I know not of what he will do"  
  
Patroclus nodded. She was right. He smiled. He was beginning to like her. When Achilles had saved Briseis and had fallen in love with her, he wondered how it could happen so quickly. Although he was not in love with her, he didn't even know her, Patroclus had fallen for Vara's friendship.  
  
"Hector _is_ a wise man. If he had killed me, I would not have met you," Patroclus said slowly.  
  
Vara took a breath and smirked slightly. She could feel his eyes watching her, looking at her. She could feel it from a thousand miles away.


	3. Chapter 3

Vara sighed. The guards were coming back. It seemed like they had more time on their hands those days._ 'I wonder what changed'  
_  
Then it hit her. She was lying on her back, trying to stare at the dark ceiling. She sat up so quickly it made her dizzy and stumble while trying to stand up. She hoped Patroclus didn't notice.  
  
She made her way over to the metal bars, which was quite a feat considering everything within her line of vision was blurred.  
  
"Patroclus!" she hissed quietly.  
  
No answer. _'Damn. He's probably sleeping....... Oh well!'  
_  
"Patroclus!"  
  
She saw a shadow move in the back of the other cell.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
His voice sounded sleepy yet straining to sound awake. Maybe she was right about the sleeping part.  
  
"I just realized- what if Achilles thought you were dead?"  
  
Patroclus got up off the floor and slowly walked to the cell door. "What's your point?"  
  
"Well, if he did, wouldn't everything I said the other day _apply_ to this situation?"  
  
Patroclus crossed his arms over chest and opened his mouth to object when he frowned and closed it, considering the options. He looked over at Vara. She stared at him with eyes knowing she was right. If she were right, that would mean something. Something important. He was getting annoyed quickly.  
  
"Well, I don't think it matters- I'm going to _be_ dead soon, anyways. So what's the difference, yesterday, tomorrow, _two minutes ago_? Either way, he's never going to find out when I died, so I suppose he's correct in thinking I'm _already _dead"  
  
Vara smiled. He was being arrogant. She liked the way he emphasized some words he said to prove a point. She had an idea. Well, she's had that same idea for a while, so it wasn't like she had just had a "Eureka Experience" (see bottom for details), but just a familiar idea came to her again. This time, the idea had formulated into a plan. Patroclus could see her thinking and wondered about that.  
  
"Now," Vara said, "I think we can change that whole 'going to be dead soon' thing you just said"  
  
He frowned as she smiled.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Vara grinned. "Nothing"  
  
Patroclus went over to the wall and sat down. He started to think of his dear cousin. He remembered how, while he spent his last days with the Myrmidons, Achilles adored that girl that he saved. Her name was hard to remember for Patroclus, unlike it was for Achilles, who, probably whispered it every second of every night.  
  
_'NO! I am not going to start thinking about my cousin and his lover!'_ he thought, trying not to laugh. He also wondered why Vara said what she did. _'She had said she's been in there for a while, right? Why isn't _she _dead yet?'  
_  
"How is it that you're still alive?"  
  
He then realized how random and bizarre that question must've seemed to her. She laughed.  
  
"I don't know," she said unsurely.  
  
"_Do_ you think we'll ever get out of here?" he asked.  
  
She smiled. "It's only a matter of time"  
  
"No," he said, laughing, "I mean, get out of here_ alive_!"  
  
She stopped. "That's what I meant," she said gravely.  
  
"What are you waiting for?"  
  
Vara moved into the light so he could see her.  
  
"_We_ are waiting until your burial is over"  
  
Patroclus frowned and crossed his arms. _'Damned if this woman would stop speaking in riddles and being so mysterious!'_ But then again, he thought, he sort of liked it.  
  
"Burial? Are we going to let them burn me alive or something?"  
  
Vara scoffed. It was hard to get Patroclus to figure something out sometimes. If it didn't it took him awhile. He was naïve and young, yet, so was she.  
  
"Achilles thinks you're dead. Achilles makes burial ceremony. Trojans give him proper time, custom. No one fighting so there are a lot of people in Troy right now. Wait till they start fighting again and not paying attention and we _escape_!"  
  
She had given him all the hard facts. No proper sentences needed when you're trying to get a point across.  
  
Vara could see Patroclus smile. A strand of golden brown hair had fallen into his eye and he reached up and pushed it away, not taking his eyes off her.  
  
"So, what's your escape plan?"  
  
"You'll see"  
  
"How do you even know it'll work?"  
  
She sighed. "Patroclus! Just trust me, okay? I've been in this place for a while, you would think I would know a way to get out of here!"  
  
He didn't like her sarcasm, so he shouted angrily, "Then why are you still here?"  
  
She stopped. She was getting angry and offended and he was paying for it. Unbeknownst to her, he was regretting it.  
  
"Don't shout," she said softly, "It'll bring the guards"  
  
"I'm sorry," he said.  
  
She rolled her eyes. He didn't mean it. No one ever did those days.  
  
"Tomorrow the burial ceremony will be over but we must wait a few more days, just to be safe"  
  
He nodded. He wouldn't ask what they will do after they get out. He knows she will say they should go their separate ways. Patroclus back to the Myrmidons and Vara back to...well.... wherever she was from, that is. He smiled. He was beginning to like her. Maybe not in the same way she liked him, but he did.  
  
Vara could see him thinking. She liked the way his hair fell in his face, and when he only noticed when he started speaking to her. _'Maybe this will end up better than I thought'_

* * *

"Eureka Experience": a term used by my (and my best friend, user on this site, goldendeath1 (hehe, she's so cute!) ) Eighth Grade science teacher. She used this term in the idea that we would eventually figure out what we were learning instead of just saying we did. 

Used in a sentence: "WOAH! DUDE! I've just had the _Eureka Experience_!" Actual quote. And also, we only used that phrase to make fun of our teacher. Oh, c'mon! Everyone does! :-D


	4. Chapter 4

"_Patroclus_!" Vara hissed at him. "_Stop_!"  
  
She was getting annoyed fast. Patroclus was in his cell, banging his head against the wall, lightly, over and over again. _Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang_, etc.  
  
"Patroclus..." she carefully warned him.  
  
He stopped. "_What_?" His tone was loud and annoyed.  
  
She didn't say anything. He stopped making that noise, hadn't he?  
  
_Bang................Bang............Bang............BANG.  
  
_ "Patroclus, I _swear_ to the Gods, that if you do not stop that, I am going to hurt you!"  
  
She exhaled loudly after yelling at him.  
  
"That's _if _you could even get over here at all" _Bang..... Bang.  
_  
"And besides," he continued, "You do remember I am well trained by Achilles, so I'll wager that you couldn't even lay a hand on me"  
  
As he continued to mock her and bang his head against the wall in a steady fashion, Vara was ready to get up, get out of her cell, and kick his ass. No holding back either. Earlier in those days, she had made Patroclus slide the dagger across the floor to her; she didn't trust him with a sharp object.  
  
Loud yells and chains were being heard at the door to the cells. '_Prisoners. Lots of them'_  
  
Vara went to the bars and motioned for Patroclus to do the same. If the guards could see you, they wouldn't put anyone else in your tiny cell with you.  
  
Vara stood at her cell door and watched as the guards brought in men in armor and covered in blood; some dying. She couldn't count exactly how many men there were. Thirty, maybe forty in all, far too many for the small jail of Troy.  
  
Troy boasted it's low rate of crime, and, therefore had such a tiny jail, not made for captives of war. Vara watched Patroclus' face. He recognized some of the incarcerated.  
  
As the last few men were brought in, a guard came from the back of the prison to the front, trying to confront the leader. Vara strained to hear what they were saying to one another, but the cries from the Myrmidons, Spartans, and who others came to fight Troy, were far too loud.  
  
All she could figure out from their dialogue were certain sentences and commands. That went something like this:  
  
"Sir, there aren't enough cells left"  
  
"Well, put shum togedder" He meant the prisoners.  
  
"We've done that, and yet there still aren't enough"  
  
"What about dese doo? Dey is in individual cells!"  
  
"We dare not put anyone in with her, you remember what happened the last time we tried that.... and we do not want to put anyone with him, for he is the cousin of Achilles and he should stay unharmed."  
  
"Cushin of Achilles, eh? Well, noo matter, pute him in wif 'er"  
  
"But-"  
  
"Follow my orders!"  
  
Vara was surprised the leader could pronounce that last sentence correctly; he probably had to say it over and over again. _'WAIT! Patroclus in here with me!!?? DAMN!'_  
  
She sighed and let a wave of disgust flash over her face. Patroclus caught on to what she was doing and his face lay emotionless but tough. The guard opened his cell and then hers, pushing him in through her door.  
  
The guard closed the door and was about to step away when Vara asked him something.  
  
"Arod?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"What happened out there?"  
  
"Prince Hector was killed by Achilles and there was the usual bloodshed"  
  
"Achilles!?" Patroclus exclaimed. Vara elbowed him in the stomach.  
  
"Hmmm...lovely," she said in sarcasm. Arod smiled and walked away. Vara turned to Patroclus, angry.  
  
"Why'd you do that?!"  
  
"How do you know him?" he said in the same tone as she had.  
  
"Why'd you do that?"  
  
"_How_ do you know him?"  
  
Vara growled angrily.  
  
"I've been here a while" she said, not skipping a beat, "Why'd you do that?"  
  
He doesn't say anything. She exhaled loudly, easing away tension. She went to her wall and sat down against it in the same way Patroclus had seen her do in the last few days. The cell was tiny for one person, let alone two. She had predicted it to be seven feet long and five feet wide. She didn't know how high the ceiling was. Vara pulled her hair away from her face and gathered it in her hands behind her head, she was thinking.  
  
"So, what does this all mean?" he asked.  
  
"Exactly what I thought and said earlier"  
  
"Uh huh..."  
  
He didn't totally understand. Being that close to each other, they could get a better description of the person in front of them.  
  
Patroclus was tall but thin, with golden blonde hair and blue eyes. Those blue eyes lit up when he smiled, sending a hidden signal to whom he was smiling at. His skin was tanned from practice in the sun. He was her age.  
  
Vara let her long brown hair fall around her shoulders and back onto her face. When Patroclus said something, he found it hard to make her smile unless he was first. He liked the way she smiled. He, also, liked the fact that she wasn't docile and meek, like all other women he met. But, true, she wasn't at all like other women.  
  
She wasn't afraid of him and she wasn't afraid to insult or challenge him. If any other woman had spoken to him like she had, they would have been punished. Except that all the other women he had met were royalty, and Vara was not. She didn't have to use manners and flirt with men to get what she wanted. Men were just drawn to her, but she didn't care for that talent at all. She would prefer them ignoring her. But, that was just the way it was. Her attitude had the skill to drive men wild. And, already, it was working against her will.  
  
Patroclus had thought she wasn't interested; she was, but, just, not in that way.  
  
"So, what does this all have to do with anything?" he asked.  
  
Vara took a deep breath as Patroclus went to sit down next to her. As he lowered himself to the floor, she scooted away slightly.  
  
"Well, Achilles thought you were dead and killed Hector. Hector is dead. Good thing: I think Hector was the only one who cared you were in here, so now with him dead, no one will miss you. Bad thing: all these guys in here and I think that if we get out of here, you'll want to get them out of here, but we can't. Also, when we get out, it'll be hard to get past the guards_ and_ all those soldiers quietly. Another bad thing: Paris is Hector's brother so, as his kin, Paris will want to avenge Hector's death. Paris, I'm assuming, is now on a mission to kill Achilles"  
  
She only said that last part for Patroclus' benefit.  
  
"And that means..."  
  
"That we may have to stick it out here a little bit longer"  
  
Patroclus nodded and looked down. His cousin was a target for murder at the beginning, now he had a fully skilled warrior out to kill him.  
  
"Well," she said, sliding down the wall so her back lay flat on the ground and her head rested under her arm, "I'm going to get some sleep, you should, too"  
  
He sighed and lay down. "Do you think Achilles will give Briseis back?" he asked her randomly.  
  
Vara closed her eyes. She had heard the story well enough to know the facts. "I don't know. I don't know the guy"  
  
"I mean, they're in love, and all, but I don't think he wants to risk her life in this war. The Trojans will get her back eventually"  
  
"I guess so..."  
  
"Do you think that's a worthy cause? Love?"  
  
That question was aimed at her and she knew it.  
  
"Depends on who you're loving and who loves you back, if they even do"  
  
"Well, if they didn't love you back, that's not love"  
  
"Some people are good at lying"  
  
"Like who? You?"  
  
'_Shit!'_ He had asked the question unintentionally. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore her question. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him.  
  
"I guess you wouldn't know, but when it comes to love, you can't lie"  
  
That statement left in speechless. There was no comeback for _that_.  
  
It must've been night, but neither of them knew. There were no windows and you could never see the sun or sunlight down there. Only the light for dim torches could be seen.  
  
"Get some sleep," she said again, closing her eyes, "We'll be out soon, I promise"  
  
And she did. Patroclus nodded and muttered something she did not hear. She could hear him turn onto his side, his back to her. Vara opened her eyes and glanced at him. She smiled. Patroclus was beginning to grow on her. _'Damn'_


	5. Chapter 5

Vara rolled over onto her side and collided with something. She groaned and tried to push it away. It wouldn't move. She opened her eyes. '_Patroclus_!'  
  
She groaned again and moved away from his body, frustrated. She hopes he wasn't going to wake up and she could fall back asleep again. She tried to get comfortable with no avail. She looked over at Patroclus. He was sleeping soundly.  
  
She wished she could sleep that soundly. "Stupid bugger!"  
  
A smile spread across his face, he was dreaming of something. Or someone. Vara scoffed and kicked him in the knee. She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"Good morning to you, too"  
  
He had spoken without opening his eyes. Vara frowned and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
Vara scoffed. "You think I bloody know?"  
  
Patroclus smiled and turned onto his side towards her, his head propped up on his elbow.  
  
"You seem to know a lot of things"  
  
He said it and meant it as a compliment. She didn't react. She didn't want to. Last night, she had given herself a strict lecture that she was not to get close to Patroclus. She didn't know him, therefore she shouldn't trust him. She hadn't even slept well that night, just wondering if she would awake to find a knife pressed to her throat.  
  
"I think it's early," she said, sitting up, "I don't hear anyone"  
  
"Do you think, soon, it'll be time to...you know...?"  
  
"Try and get out?"  
  
She tilted her head to face him. He didn't react, he just blinked. She then said that one word that could always be used in any situation: good, bad, or anything else.  
  
"Yes"  
  
He smiled. "Do you think it'll work?"  
  
"What do you mean, 'do you think it'll work'?!" she asked with a laugh, "don't you trust me?"  
  
He looked at her with mock skepticism. "Maybe..."  
  
"Hmmm, well, I don't know if I should save your life if you don't trust me"  
  
It was easy to joke with him, he didn't pose that much of a threat. She had heard people say that he was like his cousin, Achilles, and, thought, while not ever meeting the great warrior, himself, Vara knew none of it was true.  
  
Even if their personalities were the same, Vara wouldn't feel half as comfortable with Achilles as she did Patroclus. Achilles held power and the will the fight, while Patroclus tried to live up to his cousin's shadow.  
  
"I think I have good reason not to trust you," Patroclus said with a smile.  
  
"And _why_ is that?"  
  
He ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Because _you_," he said, "have the whole mysterious, helpful, beautiful convict thing going on and you still have that dagger hidden somewhere"  
  
She laughed. '_Nice one, Patroclus, compliment her and almost tell her how you feel in one sentence!'_ he thought. She skipped over the first part of the sentence and focused on the dagger part.  
  
"And you are not going to find that dagger, I might add"  
  
He smiled. "See, I have to keep my guard up to make sure I don't end up dead!"  
  
Vara stood up and shook the dirt out of her dress.  
  
"I thought you were the cousin of the mighty Achilles, taught by _him_? If so, why are you afraid of a girl with a knife?"  
  
Patroclus stood up in front of her, stepping close.  
  
"Afraid?" he asked softly, he stepped even closer to her, "I have no need to fear you"  
  
"Really?" she asked teasingly with a soft seductive tone, "You should"  
  
She let his mind wrap itself around those last words for a second. He stared at her in wonder.  
  
Vara smirked. Within a second, she had whipped out the dagger from within her dress and shoved Patroclus against the wall, pinning him there with her body, pressing the dagger against his throat. She let his arms hang free.  
  
"You forgot one thing," he said, staring into her eyes.  
  
"And what would that be?"  
  
He shook his arms out to his sides. She smiled. He was that arrogant.  
  
"_I _have no need to fear you"  
  
They both smiled as she removed her knife and stepped back.  
  
Patroclus wasn't ready for another topic to arise. He slid his hands around her waist and pulled her close to him as she slipped the dagger back into her dress. For a split second, he stopped thinking about what Achilles would do and started thinking for himself. As he pulled her closer, she put her hands on his chest, stopping him.  
  
"Patroclus," she said in an apologetic tone, "Stop"  
  
He stopped pulling her but let his hands remain there on her waist. "I'm sorry," she said softly. She felt as if it was her fault for letting that happen. She had led him to think one thing, but then said and did another. She knew what she had to do after they got out, whether she liked it or not.  
  
She pulled back and he let her. Patroclus let his hands drop to his sides. He hoped they could still be friends. Vara stepped over to the door and looked out.  
  
"Tomorrow"  
  
She looked back over at him and he nodded. Guilt and apology flashed in his eyes. So much that Vara could barely look at him. He wished she would.  
  
She looked back out. She was ashamed of the way she felt when he touched her. She shouldn't have felt it at all, yet she did. It was of what she wanted, that she feared. What she could have... 


	6. Chapter 6

It was the middle of the night, well, it might've been, you could never be too sure of anything. All Vara knew, what that the other prisoners weren't awake.  
  
She leaned against the wall, sitting up, her knees pulled of to her chest and her forearms pressed on her knees. In her mind she perfected every single act they would try to pull off. Now that she thought about it, her original reason for using Patroclus wasn't working. He was a sweet guy and knew how to kill, he just wasn't ready to.  
  
Vara now had an ulterior motive. She had already told Patroclus of her plans to get them both out. She couldn't just leave and let him wake up to an empty cell. She looked beside her at Patroclus. He was lying on his back, hair strewn across his face.  
  
She smiled and reached down. She lightly pulled the hair off his face with her fingertips. When she realized what she was doing, she pulled her hand back. It wouldn't be long until she adored him, even loved him, and she knew it.  
  
She closed her eyes and shuddered. _'Talk about falling in love with the enemy, huh?'_  
  
It hadn't even been that long since she met him. She hated falling in love fast. But there was something different about him. There was a sense of innocence and tranquility that surrounded him. It was if there wasn't only one thing on his mind. The one-thing men usually wanted from her.  
  
She shook her head and went back to planning._ 'So, pick the lock, get out, lock the lock again, knock out that burly guy-'_  
  
"Vara," a voice said softly from the door of the cell.  
  
It was a masculine voice she recognized. Vara looked over at the door. Paris.  
  
_ 'Or we could just skip all that beginning stuff,'_ she thought to herself, chuckling.  
  
She glanced over at Patroclus and she prayed to the Gods that Paris would not recognize him. She stood up and stepped over to the door carefully. He was dressed in some of his finest; he had stopped trying to look like a commoner years ago.  
  
"Yes, Paris?"  
  
He was taken aback by her tone, she sounded annoyed. In his opinion, any woman should be damn lucky even to hear his voice. He frowned and shook his head. They were friends after all, weren't they?  
  
Vara had been attracted to him in earlier years, and she had kicked his pansy ass when they were children. Vara recalled his father once saying that that was the most valuable experience of Paris' childhood. Vara's brother had worked in the royal stables when Vara was still young, and it was there that Vara met the Prince of Troy, Paris.  
  
She was even surprised he knew she was there. She didn't really care about him after all that. He kept renewing his friendships just so he could get something.  
  
"I need your help..." he said softly.  
  
"Hmmm.... don't _we _all?" she said sarcastically.  
  
Paris ignored her statement and went on. "Helen is wishing to go back to Menelaus and she won't even talk to me..."  
  
"So you want me to talk to your woman _for you_??"  
  
He nodded. _'Talk about running away from your problems,'_ she thought.  
  
"Why not some other woman in the palace?"  
  
"Because I do not trust them"  
  
"And you trust me?" she asked doubtfully. In the back of her mind, she thought of Patroclus. How she had asked him that question truthfully.  
  
"I have no other choice, do I?" he asked, but he knew the answer.  
  
Vara was about to oppose to his request when she thought of it. _'If I help Paris, he will help me...Ignore Paris and I never get out of here,'_ she thought.  
  
"Alright," she says with a sigh.  
  
Paris smiled and reached thought the bars and gripped her hands in his. Vara tried to keep her pathetic smile but wished he would stop touching her.  
  
Paris reached into his pocket and withdrew a key. He slid it into the lock and twisted. The iron lock flaked rust as Paris pulled it down, opening the lock. He pulled open the heavy door and she stepped out. She didn't dare look back at Patroclus. Paris would know he was there, and then what? Vara didn't want to know. She didn't trust Paris that much, well, she didn't trust him at all. For all she knew, he could be taking her to be executed._ 'Great,'_ she thought with sarcasm.  
  
Paris closed the door behind her and motioned for her to leave first. She bit her lip and hoped he hadn't noticed the sleeping man in her cell. Vara stepped forward and felt something on her shoulders. She looked over. It was a cape, she looked back at Paris and that was what he was missing.  
  
He had taken off his cape and placed it on her shoulders. She smiled politely and kept walking. She knew her way to the palace. In the back of her mind, she thought about how she would secretly walk down that path with Patroclus later on. She hoped Patroclus wouldn't awake before she returned.  
  
Paris watched her and rolled his eyes. "She'd better know what she's doing," he muttered.

* * *

I'm thinking of adding some different things in this, but y'all gotta review and tell me! The more good reviews, the more chapters. I may be adding a lemon in later chapters, but I have no idea. Review or email and tell me what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

"Helen?"  
  
She didn't look up. She sat at the window, looking out at the camps of her lover's enemy's. Paris stepped into the room in front of Vara.  
  
"Helen..."  
  
Paris shook his head and looked back at Vara. She stood there, arms crossed over her chest protectively.  
  
"I have someone here to...to talk to you..."  
  
Helen didn't move. Vara frowned at her. Paris sighed and shrugged. He turned and left the room, leaving Vara standing there and Helen unnoticing. Vara walked over to where Helen was sitting. She didn't know if she had to use some soothing, nurturing tone like she would with a child or a psycho. For all she knew, she was dealing with both, specifically the latter.  
  
"So it's Menelaus or Paris now, huh?"  
  
She didn't bother saying Helen's name again. Paris had done that already a few times. Helen didn't move. Vara sat down on the marble floor, her back against the wall below the window. Helen could see her out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"You love Paris," Vara said, "but you think if you go back to Menelaus, the war will end and he will leave. Paris won't be killed"  
  
Vara looked back up at Helen. Vara was getting impatient.  
  
"If you go back to Menelaus," she said slowly, "you know that Agamemnon won't leave Troy"  
  
Helen nodded. Vara was surprised she got a reaction out of the woman.  
  
"If I stay here," Helen said quietly, "Agamemnon still has a reason for war"  
  
Vara raised her eyebrows. She was astonished Helen had spoken.  
  
"And if I leave," she continued, "they will still fight, but I will not be the reason"  
  
Vara nodded. She was right. "Do what you think is right..."  
  
Helen scoffed and turned her head towards Vara. Her expression was angry.  
  
"What if you were married against your will and then found out you loved someone else? You cannot take back your vows. And then you run away with him...you have already sinned by loving someone else whom you are not married to, running away with him definitely earns you an eternity in hell. If I go back to Menelaus, he won't pretend like everything never happened. And while I stay here with Paris, he is slowly forgetting his love for me..."  
  
Helen had started out angry and ended up sad. Helen reached up and touched her hair. She stared down at Vara on the floor, with no expression on her face whatsoever. Just listening. Helen wondered who she was and why Paris had brought her there. Maybe she was a servant?  
  
"Talk to Paris..."  
  
"You think it is that easy?" Helen asked bitterly.  
  
Vara gritted her teeth. This woman was getting on her nerves.  
  
"Speak to him the way you speak to me and he will understand"  
  
"If I do so, I will be punished..."  
  
"Helen!" Vara said exasperated, "You don't _know_ that! You had enough guts to defy Menelaus and run away with another man, you can at least stand up to Paris! You have to at least try, or else you have nothing."  
  
Helen looked at her.  
  
"You say it is so easy, you are not in love with him."  
  
"A good thing, too," Vara muttered under her breath.  
  
"What did you say?" Helen asked curiously.  
  
"Nothing," Vara said with a smile. She stood up off the floor, glancing out at the tents on the beach.  
  
"The fall of Troy is coming," Helen said, "I wish there was something I could do to prevent it."  
  
"A fool's hope," Vara said, "That is one thing no one can prevent."  
  
Helen shrugged and stood up as well. Vara walked over the smooth marble floor and over to the door. Just as she extended her hand to the door handle, she turned and spoke.  
  
"So you are to stay with Paris?"  
  
Vara waited for Helen's answer. Helen glanced over her shoulder to the beach and then looked back.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Vara smiled and nodded, opening the door, stepping through. She closed the door behind her and suddenly thought about where she was.  
  
She was already out of the jail, but Patroclus was not with her. '_Patroclus_' Surely Paris would not let her leave without saying something to her. Vara started to walk down the long hallway, waiting for Paris to step out from the shadows or from behind a curtain or, something.  
  
Needless to say, Paris stepped out around the corner, facing her. Vara sighed and crossed her arms over her chest again.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well what?" Vara asked annoyed.  
  
"What'd she say, assuming she said anything at all..."  
  
Vara put her hands on her hips and said, "Well, thanks to me, all your problems are over with her"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Pretty much, you've just got to talk to the girl, and after that, everything's gravy"  
  
Vara smiled. She liked that last part. Paris nodded.  
  
"Well," he said shrugging, "you are free"  
  
Vara remembered Patroclus. "Can we go back to the jail?"  
  
"Why, what ever for?"  
  
"I must speak to someone"  
  
Paris thought about it and then nodded.  
  
He led her back to the jail, avoiding commoners and guards. He didn't want to stop and explain the situation. 


	8. Chapter 8

Vara stopped in front of her cell, trying not to look in for Patroclus. Paris stood in front of her. Vara smiled and opened her mouth to say something when Paris spoke first.  
  
"You do know that speaking to the enemy is considered treason..."  
  
Vara frowned.  
  
"Yes," he said, "I know of the Myrmidon in your cell whom you came back for. I believe he is the cousin of Achilles?"  
  
Vara slowly nodded.  
  
"The very Achilles who killed my brother..."  
  
Vara sighed. Paris was getting on her nerves now.  
  
"The very Achilles who wouldn't have been here if Agamemnon hadn't declared war. Agamemnon wouldn't have declared war if you hadn't stolen his brother's wife"  
  
Paris thought about it. She was right.  
  
"Paris, we both love the enemy in one way or another," she stopped, she had said 'love'. '_Damn!_', "It doesn't matter anymore. Vengeance does not rule us, so don't let it"  
  
Paris then thought about that subject. He sighed. He didn't like it that she was speaking to the enemy, let alone the kin of his brother's killer.  
  
Vara stood back and stepped into the cell.  
  
"You may go now, Paris, but please, leave the door unlocked"  
  
Paris nodded and pushed the metal door closed, letting the lock drop to the sand. He kicked dirt over it so that it would not be seen.  
  
"Thank you," Paris muttered under his breath. He turned and left. Vara watched until she could not see him anymore. She turned and looked for Patroclus in the dark, hoping and praying that he did not hear what she said, for she did not mean it. Well, she hoped she did not.

* * *

Sorry about the short chapter. It will get better, I promise. The more reviews the more chapters. Keep reading and reviewing!

Lady Discord: Thanks for all the good reviews!! Keep em comin!

To everyone else: If you would like something specific in this, tell me, you wish is my command, if I like it, that is. lol.


	9. Chapter 9

NOTE: The document manager on this site is screwed up right now, so I can't 'quick edit' it, so there's no italics and enunciations. Sorry! Use your imagination. To distinguish the thoughts from spoken words, dialog is in quotations ("") and thoughts are with single apostrophes (' ') Sorry it's so hard to read (.  
  
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Vara strained her eyes to look through the darkness to see Patroclus. The harder she looked, the worse her eyes felt. After a few minutes of trying, she utterly gave up. She leaned against the stone wall, and closed her eyes, and, for a brief moment, she felt alone again.  
  
She opened her eyes and sighed into the darkness.  
  
"Well?" a voice said calmly from the darkness. For some reason, Vara didn't jump. As if she knew that voice was coming.  
  
"Well what?" she said back, just as calm.  
  
"What's the plan now?"  
  
"The same as it's always been."  
  
In her mind, Vara could see Patroclus nodding. She hoped she would stop speaking. She didn't feel like talking.  
  
"Why did you get him away from the fact that I am a Myrmidon and the enemy?"  
  
"He would have killed you"  
  
"You would think you would want to try and do anything to be rid of me, you could've gotten out of here by yourself. You could have just let him kill me."  
  
"You really think I am that coldhearted?"  
  
"You're in here aren't you?"  
  
His last few words were bitter and she didn't know why. She looked to him with sympathetic eyes that caught his gaze. In any other situation, he would have stared at her back. But not this time. He quickly averted his gaze as soon as he met hers. He didn't want to look at her and lose his anger. Although he wanted to do both.  
  
"One day I will tell you why I am in here."  
  
He didn't argue.  
  
"If I am as you say, and I am here because I was 'coldhearted', doesn't that mean that you are the same as I? Coldhearted?"  
  
Patroclus didn't say anything. He was losing the argument. He couldn't help but look at her. Just one glimpse of her face had dissolved his anger. All of it.  
  
"I'm sorry"  
  
He looked up. She had been the first to apologize. 'Too convenient,' he thought. He stood up off the ground and smiled.  
  
"You shouldn't be the one apologizing, it should be me. I-"  
  
"No, you had a reason to be angry. I did converse with Paris, but only to our benefit- to help us get out of here"  
  
He smiled and stepped closer. Vara was relieved that the tension was gone.  
  
"I couldn't have stayed angry with you," he said softly, smiling as he spoke.  
  
"And why, may I ask, is that?" she asked smiling, thinking of his answer.  
  
"Because you," he said stepping ever so close to her that she was sure he was going to do something she expected, "are my ticket out of here"  
  
He had whispered the last part. Vara had let her smile fade. She had thought he was going to say something sweet, but he didn't. She didn't want to get close to him, yet she yearned for him to say something forward or sweet.  
  
She looked away, off to the side, letting him see the profile of her face. Patroclus shuddered, struggling to hold back. He gulped and tried to keep his mind off the things he wanted. The things he could have if he played his cards right.  
  
Vara looked back at him. His eyes were scanning the area above her head. She could see his eyes begin to move towards her again and tried to turn from his gaze. But she found herself staring into his eyes. Something was showing in them she could not specifically read. Vara swallowed and turned her head down and away to the right.  
  
Patroclus smiled and leaned towards her, lightly pressing his lips against her left cheek. She almost jerked away, but stopped herself. She knew she shouldn't, but she liked it. She held her breath and let her eyes close. When he pulled back, she looked at him and smiled.  
  
"What was that for?" she asked while trying to smile, evenly laughing.  
  
He smiled back, looking into her eyes. His own eyes had some hidden message that Vera couldn't figure out just yet. She assumed they were saying something about how he was feeling and what he was thinking about.  
  
"For at least including me in your plans of escaping. You could have just let me rot here, in this jail"  
  
She smiled. "No, I couldn't"  
  
"And why not?"  
  
When Patroclus asked that question, he searched her eyes. She thought quickly for her answer.  
  
"Because I just couldn't?"  
  
"Is that all?"  
  
Vara watched his eyes and they showed slight disappointment when she had answered.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do you wish he had killed me?"  
  
Vara sighed and looked away towards the cell to the door, keeping her eyes off Patroclus. She tried to ignore the question and how she was reacting to him. She didn't want to like him, especially since liking him would prove her task a lot harder than previously calculated.  
  
She stepped towards the door but when his hand slid around hers, she was pulled back. She stepped back in front of him and stared at him with a look of slight unbelief on her face. He didn't to disguise his face with something other than he was feeling.  
  
He searched her eyes and her face for a sign of emotion and he found none. Vara swallowed and tried to read his expressions. He was thinking of something and she knew it. There was a heat to his eyes that made her want to blush.  
  
She couldn't hold back anymore. She leaned up and captured his lips in a kiss. Patroclus was taken aback but smiled internally. He was surprised she was the first to do this. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on his chest, just below the edge of his hair falling over his shoulder. As she felt a hand slide around her slender waist, reality hit her.  
  
'Shit!'  
  
Vara pulled back in shock and stared at Patroclus, almost gasping. The look on his face reminded her of that of a crushed puppy dog. She could almost not even bear to look at him like that. She stepped towards the door, turning her back to him. She thought about his question.  
  
"I don't have time to think about regrets"  
  
She looked back at him. He had a look of hurt and confusion on his face.  
  
"We're leaving," she said, "C'mon"  
  
She stood at the door, waiting for him to leave the cell first. She tried to ignore the look on his face, telling herself to be tough. He nodded and stepped past her into the hallway. Vara took a deep breath and started behind him.  
  
She knew that what she had done would make what she had to do harder. Even if she hadn't felt something, she would still have to face his feelings. Either way, she was not sure she could do it anymore. But she was sure of one thing she had to do.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- OOOHH! SUSPENSE! Vara has some secrets that may or may not be revealed... Now, I know most of you have been asking if you're ever going to find out about some of the introduced dialog and writing that posed interesting questions in your minds. They'll probably be revealed in later chapters. One of the hidden secrets involves poor Patroclus.  
  
Another asked question: Achilles will be back into the story. I promise. And, also, I did mention a possible lemon, but that may happen later in eventual chapters. If you want it, you gotta review for it (.  
  
Also another thing, school's starting up again so I may not have time to write more chapters. Savvy n sorry. 


	10. Chapter 10

Vara peeked around the corner, seeing of anyone was coming. She didn't see anyone but a single guard sitting beside the jail's main door. She gripped her hand around the handle of the sword she had taken from a guard passed out by liquor. She didn't give Patroclus a weapon yet; she was the one in front, leading the way, confronting passing guards.  
  
She extended her arm behind her, making it nearly impossible for Patroclus to go around or look beyond her, if he was even going to try either. The guard by the door was pacing impatiently. Vara wondered if he was expecting a guest. She didn't care- they didn't have the time.  
  
She stepped around the corner, and when she didn't execute any motion of command to Patroclus, to come or stay there, he followed. She kept her eyes on the man in front of her, not the one behind. The guard must've seen her out of the corner of his eye, for he spun towards her, probably shocked at seeing her.  
  
Vara was relieved; it wasn't one of the guards she knew personally. As she stepped one foot closer, the man extended his sword towards her, pointing the tip at her chest.  
  
"Not one step farther," he said with a voice that she knew wasn't accustomed to give orders. She saw a hint of fear in his eyes, in his voice. Quickly, and with the flick of her wrist, she raised her blade and slapped his sword away.  
  
The weapon landed a few feet away, on the far end of the small area. The man looked at her with shock and fear on his face. She bit her lip and sighed, making a silent prayer/apology to the gods.  
  
She swallowed and stepped forwards, letting her sword sink into his stomach, trying to ignore the sound of his blood gushing. Vara didn't look at his face. That was one thing she learned about killing: never look at their faces or into their eyes- feelings end up involved that way if you do.  
  
She left the blade there for a moment, making sure he would be dead. She withdrew the sword, looking away as he sank to his knees, onto the ground, his body in a heap there. Vara swallowed and went over to the sword of the, now, dead man. She picked it up lightly and turned, tossing it to a shocked Patroclus. He caught it, never letting his eyes stray from her face.  
  
Vara turned back to the door and opened it, disappearing out of the jail. Patroclus stood there for a second, shocked at what she had done. She stood outside the door, waiting for him, thinking about what thoughts he had.  
  
When he emerged, he still held the sword in his hand and looked at her. He saw no remorse on her face. That made him nervous. Before he could ask her, she quickly ran to the shadow of a house nearby. He had to run to keep up with her. He was surprised how fast she was.  
  
Patroclus followed her into an alleyway, letting his hair fall into his eyes. She stopped and turned around to make sure he was following. Vara smiled at him, trying to ease some of the tension. His face was emotionless. She didn't frown or ask why; she felt she already knew the answer.  
  
"Why did you kill that man?"  
  
Vara swallowed. She knew that question was coming some time or later. Apparently, killing did bother him. In that way as well, he wasn't like Achilles. Vara glanced at him.  
  
"Dead men don't bite."  
  
That had been a quote she had heard from someone. It was someone important whom she had known, she just couldn't think of that man then. It was too hard. He was, in fact, the reason she had been in jail for so long. She looked at Patroclus. He frowned.  
  
"Sometimes killing is required to survive."  
  
Vara didn't wait to see his reaction. She turned and sprinted across the market, clinging the sword close to her body. Patroclus sighed and went after her. He wasn't sure how long he would be following. That one sentence resonated in his mind. It burned itself in his intelligence, never to be forgotten.  
  
'Dead men don't bite'  
  
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MORE SUSPENSE! Now we know when and where the title came into play. But also, we do not know about that man who had caused her jail sentence. Hint: it's also another one of those secrets previously mentioned. 


	11. Chapter 11

"Any ideas where we're going?" he asked.  
  
Patroclus was having a hard time catching his breath. Vara turned around, just as breathless. She nodded, gasping for breath, "A good idea."  
  
He waited for something to follow that statement. There was nothing. He looked at her. She looked back at him.  
  
"If I tell you, you'll go and do something _stupid_."  
  
The way she said it, the sound of her voice made it seem that she despised him. He didn't know that that was what she was trying to do. She was trying to ignore the feelings she was seeing and feeling.  
  
"I will _not_!"  
  
Vara rolled her eyes. He was now getting on her nerves. It was now or never. She remembered what she had learned and heard once. _'Never trust anyone. If you have to temporarily, at the end, you must kill them. They know too much about you and can one day betray you'_ She had no other instinct than the voice in her head. That man who had owned that voice had been the reason she was in jail, but she didn't care. She used every piece of good advice to her advantage.  
  
She looked back at him. He forced a smile. She willed herself to think of something else. He probably trusted her by now. _'Poor sap'  
_  
Vara turned her head away. She tried to make herself believe that she didn't know him, that she didn't remotely care for him. She thought of herself as an idiot for getting close to him, even caring for him as a friend. She didn't want to fall in love, not again. And especially when it was with the enemy that she had to kill. 


	12. Chapter 12

She looked at him again, trying to decide what to do. She closed her eyes and thought. Without opening her eyes, she raised the sword at her side towards him. She swallowed and opened her eyes, taking a deep breath.  
  
Vara frowned at him, glaring. He probably didn't care about her either, she thought about this, maybe he was just one of those normal guys who was out for one thing...  
  
Part of her screamed opposition and the other half rejoiced with newfound anger towards Patroclus. She took a step towards him. He saw that she was not happy, not at all. He saw the anger and hate in her eyes. It was like he was looking at another person totally. He had never seen that side of her.  
  
As he took a step backwards and she took one towards him, he knew he wasn't that safe anymore._ 'But wait, I was trained by Achilles- no woman can defeat me- not even her'_  
  
Patroclus tried to hide his smile of confidence, knowing it would make her angrier. He raised his sword in her direction. Her face and body showed no premonition of what came.  
  
She quickly brought her sword up to meet his, listening to the metal clank against the other. His hand shook slightly as she swiftly stepped to the side, towards him, he could only see her out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Just as quickly, she kicked both of his ankles with her leg, swiping him off his feet and onto the ground. She walked to the other side of him, giving him the chance to stand, letting him believe he was going to die in honor, in a fight.  
  
She glimpsed around, someone had surely heard this. She looked back to him. Vara knew what he was thinking: something about how Achilles should've taught him about that. Even if he wasn't thinking about that, she sure was going to make him think of that.  
  
"That's one thing Achilles didn't teach you: footwork."  
  
She wore on her face a look proud of this conquest. She watched Patroclus stagger to his feet.  
  
Vara stayed the distance and waited for him to be ready. But then she knew that he would never be ready to die. She took a breath but didn't let it all the way out, stopping halfway.  
  
She stretched her arm out, twisting it towards him. If Achilles hadn't trained him, she would have gotten him on that one. He blocked her blow with difficulty. She was getting serious now.  
  
Vara didn't let him recover before advancing again. She hastily lashed her arm out, exaggerating a blow to him left arm. As he moved his arm to block it, she twisted he arm back, gripping the sword with both hands and moving to his other arm.  
  
When he looked up, he saw that she had her sword beside her. Patroclus felt a sting on his upper right arm. He tilted his head to look and saw blood seeping out of a not so deep cut there.  
  
He looked up at her impressed but at the same time, most annoyed. She meant business now. Patroclus pushed hair out of his eyes and Vara watched him do it. He stepped forwards and when she thrust her arm out to block his hit, he twisted his wrist, ruining her grip on her sword with the flick of his wrist, sending it flying.  
  
He threw his sword off by hers quickly, grabbing her arms, pulling her against him. She didn't fight him; she knew it would be useless.  
  
She didn't like being that close to him. Being able to feel the heat of his flesh and hearing the quick pace of his heart was just too close. He looked down into her eyes, trying to erase the hate and anger he saw in them.  
  
As he slid his arms around her back, tilting his head to kiss her, he saw the glint of shiny metal. Patroclus knew and saw that it was the dagger, moving quickly and without stopping to his throat. He felt it press against his skin at first, and then nothing, like his skin had gone numb.  
  
With it ending, Patroclus dead, she thought, Vara believed her problems were over ...for the moment, that is. Afterall, dead men don't bite.

* * *

It is all over...or is it? You decide. _Will_ the story really go on without Patroclus? Review and find out in the next chapter.... 


	13. Chapter 13

Vara stepped back from him. Patroclus just stood there. Staring. He gulped. He wasn't as safe with her as he thought. (That's right, Patroclus _wasn't _dead! You all are just too quick to assume). He watched as she slipped the knife back into her dress, not taking a second glance at him.

He hated that she could just stand there and act the way she did, knowing that if she hadn't stopped her arm, he would've been dead now. He didn't like that thought much. He didn't want to think about why she had almost killed him. Rather than that, he didn't even want to imagine about why she didn't kill him either.

Vara looked at Patroclus. She took he eyes off him and went to get her sword. When she had it in her hand, she looked back up at him again. Her eyes showed nothing. That gave him the chills. She watched him move some stray hair out of his eyes and then turned around. She didn't even want to look at him.

She began to walk towards the outskirts of Troy. She silently thanked the gods for not letting anyone hear the commotion and come out to inspect it. Vara didn't know if Patroclus was going to follow her.

She sighed and took a step, not hearing it Patroclus moved. When she began that fight, she intended to kill him, not thinking about what would stop her. She hated the idea that something that meaningless to her, and someone she thought was so meaningless, could stop her from killing him.

Now Vara knew where she was going. She hoped the man wasn't dead yet. They said that he was immortal but she knew better. Every man had to die. It was just a matter of when and where. Vara was pretty sure he hadn't died yet. She hoped not, at least.

So it was to Achilles, Patroclus' cousin, they were going. Now she hoped that she wouldn't be the one to die this time. She wished everything would be different. But in the end, she knew it would all end up the same.


	14. Chapter 14

"May I ask why?"

Vara took a breath. Patroclus had spoken from behind her. She didn't look back.

"Ask what?"

Her tone was annoyed and aggravated. She knew the question and the answer both.

"Why did you proceed to try and kill me?"

"I _didn't_..."

She never skipped a beat before answering, emphasizing the 'didn't' part of it. Patroclus stepped up beside her. She could see him out of the corner of her eye but she didn't full on look at him. She didn't like the look on his face.

"Why _didn't_ you?"

Vara sighed.

"I was trying to figure out something"

"What would that be?"

She swallowed. She would have to answer him sooner or later.

"If or not I cared for you. If I didn't, I could've killed you easy, but I didn't"

He smiled. She had said she cared for him, well, she hinted at it at least.

"But if you _could_ have killed me, why were you going to do it in the first place?"

She swallowed. She wasn't ready to talk about Troilus just yet. Prince Troilus had taught her everything she knew, basically. He was her best friend. He told her to_ 'Never trust anyone. If you have to temporarily, at the end, you must kill them. They know too much about you and can one day betray you'. _

When he had told her that in the royal stables that one-day, she wondered about their friendship. In that one-day, she had also wished they became more than friends.

Vara turned her head when a gentle hand found its way to her shoulder. She moved slowly, turning to look at him. She met his sea-gray eyes and forgot what she was thinking about. She looked away quickly, almost ashamed on how, even his eyes, made her feel.

She didn't want to trust him but she knew she had to. She knew Patroclus was a man of his word. And he was, in her experience, one of the most amiable and gentle of men she had ever met.

She tilted her head and stared at his hand upon her shoulder, studying it. As Patroclus noticed and began to pull his hand away, she placed her hand upon his. Their eyes met and she could barely stand it to hold his gaze.

Patroclus, himself, kept the gaze as he bent down, pressing his lips upon her hand, kissing her fingers gently. He stood erect again and smiled.

"I think we both know that you couldn't have killed me"

"And why not?"

"Because your soul wouldn't allow it"

"It was not the soul, but the heart. Thank my _heart_ for saving you"

"I thank your heart for loving me"

He had smiled when he said the last part. Vara gritted her teeth and began to frown. As she pushed his hand off her shoulder she replied, "That I do not"

She tried to pay no heed to his eyes, for they hurt her when she looked into them. She knew that she couldn't have killed him if she tried. Maybe if she hadn't known him, she could have. But she did, and she was more than acquaintances with him. She was trying to deny the fact that she almost adored him.

He knew he was too quick to assume, but she had been the first woman in his life to show him something different than her family jewels or her throne. Patroclus was almost angry at the fact that she was so confusing and always had different things going through her head, it was like a million different people he had to figure out every day.

"Where are we going?"

Vara sighed and tried to look at him but her attempts failed.

"To tell your cousin that your funeral was a waste"


	15. Chapter 15

Achilles greeted Patroclus. Patroclus greeted Achilles. Odysseus greeted Patroclus and Patroclus greeted him. And then they did it all over again.

Vara stood there, unsure of what to do, in Achilles tent with the three men in front of her, all greeting each other again and again. Achilles asked the normal questions and statements she had thought he would ask and say: "You didn't die?", "Why didn't they kill you?", "Did you kill anyone?", "No, I haven't killed anyone important, lately", "I wish someone would kill Agamemnon", and more importantly, "Who the hell is she?"

Vara rolled her eyes and sighed. Patroclus tried to hide a smile, trying to think of a way to introduce her.

"Um...this is...Vara"

Achilles smiled, looking her over.

"A Trojan?!" Odysseus exclaimed.

Vara took a deep breath; Patroclus smiled, she had been right when she said that was all most people cared about.

"Not anymore..." Patroclus said. All looked to Patroclus, pondering what he said and meant. Vara shook her head.

Achilles stepped forwards.

"I am-"

"I _know _who you are"

Achilles felt his heart stop. The way she spoke reminded him of Briseis. That pained him greatly. He looked at her again. She was thin and slender, curved where she was supposed to be and skin smooth where it was supposed to be. Her long brown hair was straight and falling over her shoulder, her green eyes fierce but gentle at the same time. He knew that his cousin had no problem falling in love with her.

Then Achilles thought of a plan.

"Odysseus?"

"Yes, Achilles?"

Achilles tilted his head, still watching Vara.

"Leave us"

Odysseus frowned but went for the opening of the tent. As he reached it, Achilles added "You, too, Patroclus"

Patroclus frowned. He didn't like the idea of leaving her. Even with Achilles.

"I want to speak to Vara alone," Achilles explained.

Patroclus nodded but still frowned. Vara stood erect as Patroclus walked by. As he moved past her, his hand brushed hers, almost making her blush. Achilles noticed.

Patroclus left and Achilles motioned for her to sit. He waited for her to sit before he did. She sat and he lowed himself to the ground slowly.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"No," she stated flatly.

"Good"

She wasn't sure of what he meant or what he was hinting at.

"Do you know of Briseis of Troy?"

He sort of jumped into the statement. She smiled; she had heard _that _story many many times in that jail.

"I do..." she said cautiously. She hoped she wouldn't hear his version of the love story.

"I want you to take this to her, please," Achilles said, handing her a paper.

Vara nodded. _'Great, I have a quest now,'_ she thought sarcastically.

"Patroclus will go with you-"

"Um, not if I can help it."

"Oh? It seems to me that he won't let you go without him. I think he loves you..."

Vara rolled her eyes skyward. "Okay, love is a little strong and it's overrated. And, I suppose you wouldn't know, but I was the one who got us out of jail and I almost killed him, so I believe I am better off without him"

"I don't want him to stay here- he'll go and pull something stupid that got him stuck in Troy in the first place"

Vara nodded. "I'll leave in the morning."

"_Both _of you will leave in the morning," he corrected her. She sighed.

"I _can't _take him to Troy with me. He'll end up dead and it won't be _my_ fault."

Achilles frowned, pushing hair out of his eyes. It reminded her of Patroclus. '_Damn'_ that was unnerving.

"I can't explain, but you just have to trust me"

"He has a chance of dying here, too. I don't think either of us want him to die..."

She hated to do so, but she nodded. She _didn't _want Patroclus to die. She didn't want to explain the Troilus situation, either.

"We'll talk about this in the morning, but for now, get some rest," Achilles offered. Vara nodded. She stood up. As Achilles reached his feet, Patroclus came through the entrance and into the tent. Vara turned to face him, on her way out.

Patroclus was smiling. "So, what's the plan?"

Vara sighed and looked back at Achilles. "I am going back to Troy tomorrow."

"I'll go with you!" Patroclus offered. Vara sighed. "No, you are staying here."

Patroclus shook his head. He had to think of something.

"Vara, you got me out of that jail, I have to repay you _somehow_-"

"Patroclus, don't do this..._please_"

He bit his lip. He didn't like it when she was practically begging him. Unbeknownst to him, she was doing this to save his life.

"We'll talk about this later"

Vara sighed. She wished Patroclus would just stay there. All she wanted to do was kiss him and leave. She hoped he would never find out about Troilus. Vara nodded at Achilles and he did to her. She made no movement towards Patroclus. She left.

Patroclus looked to Achilles. Achilles nodded.

"She loves you but does not wish to"

Patroclus nodded. He wished he understood it all. He bowed his head towards his cousin and left. He found Vara standing outside Achilles tent, facing the sea. The wind whipped her hair over her shoulders. He took a deep breath.

She didn't hear him when he came up behind her. Patroclus stood beside her, not wanting to frighten her. He knew he wouldn't in any case. Vara glanced at him from the corner of her eye. She crossed her arms over her chest, taking a deep breath.

She thought about Troilus and leaving Patroclus, never to see him again. She hated the fact that just thinking about it pained her. She blinked back a tear and when it slid down her face, he saw it. She realized and vigorously, and quickly, rubbed it away.

Patroclus smiled and slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him. At first she resisted but then stopped. If this was to be her last night with him, she didn't want to end it on bad terms. She let him take her to him, letting his arms slide around her.

Vara stood there, pressing her cheek to his strong chest. She let his arms be her shelter, not even feeling the wind around her. He rested his cheek on her soft hair. He was taller than her. She could hear his heartbeat, slow and steady. She tried to shift her position but couldn't, his hold on her was tight, yet comforting.

Patroclus almost wished she was docile and defenseless so he could protect her, save her from anything. She pulled back and he let her. She stared up at him. Hair had fallen into his eye, hiding his gaze. She reached up and gently pushed it away.

The look in his eyes made her tremble. She had never seen that look before. Tenderness and need. She looked at him, resting a hand on the back of his neck, under his hair. Patroclus swallowed and bent to kiss her and she let him.

When their lips met, she closed her eyes. The taste of her was intoxicating and unlike the first time she had kissed him. He could taste her passion.

He deepened the kiss when his hands reached the small of her back, pressing her against him. He felt as if he couldn't breathe unless he was touching her. Vara reached up and smoothed her hand over his hair. She broke from the kiss and placed her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

He pulled her away from him, sliding a hand down her waist and she shuddered. She didn't know if she wanted to leave him. He slid his hand around hers, squeezing it gently. She smiled. He gently rubbed her skin with his thumb.

Patroclus started in the direction of his tent. They were going to talk. Something Vara wished she could do logically. She was surprised with herself that she didn't regret that kiss. If she truly cared about him, she would have to tell him about Troilus, it was only fair.


	16. Chapter 16

Patroclus was hoping that that night he would be able to tell her how he felt, although he knew she already knew it.

"Patroclus?" she said, pulling his back just as they entered his tent. He turned, already sensing that something bad was about to come up in conversation. He let go of her hand and went over to the bowl of water.

"Do you mind if I...?"

He motioned towards the bowl. Vara was left speechless. "Oh, um, not at all."

He grinned and almost laughed. Patroclus swallowed and pulled the shirt of his back in one swift movement, leaving on only his short skirt. Vara stared at him, this time utterly speechless. She couldn't help but stare. He was gorgeous.

Patroclus had a strong torso and a very strong chest. The muscles in his stomach were tight and well sculpted. His skin was tan from hours in the sun. She knew that his skin was as soft as it looked. He was very muscular. She tried so hard to tear her eyes away from him. Vara tried not to notice the water sliding down his skin. She stuttered.

"I-I know you want to go with me back to Troy, the real reason I am unaware of, but you have to know, the reason why I want you to stay here so badly is because if you come with me, you will be killed"

Patroclus looked at her. He knew she was watching him. He almost smiled. "Regretting that you didn't kill me already?"

Vara took a deep breath. "Patroclus, you don't understand-"

"So, explain it to me."

She blinked.

"Start with the reason why you almost killed me."

She sighed. "I had to see if I cared about you. If I didn't, you would've been dead right now"

"So, why was death the only way you could tell?"

"You'll be dead anyways if you come with me"

"You're that dangerous?" he joked. She was getting angry.

"No, Troilus will kill you," she said. Patroclus frowned.

"Prince Troilus is my best friend and he is very protective of me, so if he sees you, you're good as dead"

"If your best friend is Prince Troilus, why were you in jail anyways?"

"I'll tell you _someday_..."

"Does he love you?"

"What?!" she exclaimed, shocked. He nodded. "You know what I mean. Sometimes, the line between friendship and love begins to blur- I'd rather risk it all and be with you than sit back and let you leave"

"You don't mean that," Vara said flatly.

Patroclus swallowed and stepped towards her.

"If I didn't mean it, could I kiss you and you wouldn't feel anything?"

Before she could respond, he leaned down and kissed her. She let Achilles' letter drop to the floor. Her hands found their way to his shoulders. She touched his skin tentatively, as if it should burn. His lips nibbled on hers as her hands trailed around his neck, wrapping her arms around his neck, fingers twisting in his hair. Patroclus' hands slid down her shoulders and onto her back, moving slowly to her waist, pressing her against him.

* * *

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	17. Chapter 17

Vara sighed. She didn't want to get too close to Patroclus, knowing that she was leaving him in the morning. She had to let him go.

He could see that something was bothering her. He wished she would tell him everything; he didn't like it when she kept everything from him. He studied her face. Her green eyes flashed over him from time to time. She was trying not to focus on him.

Patroclus watched her. He liked how guilty she looked every time she stole a glance at him. He tilted his head. Even if he thought they were perfect for each other, even he knew that it would never work. Even if she felt for him the same way he did for her, he knew Achilles wouldn't permit his cousin to sleep with someone like her. Patroclus didn't care about what his cousin thought anymore.

He just cared about what she thought. He wanted to know if his feelings were returned.

Vara sat on this middle of his bed, in front of the mountain of pillows, her knees pulled to her chest, her chin resting on her knee. Patroclus smiled and walked over to her, sitting beside her. He was so close to her that she could feel the warmth of his skin. She tried to get her mind on something else. He wanted to see her smile.

Patroclus closed his eyes. He tilted his entire body towards her, brushing his arm against her shoulder, almost casually.

"I don't want you to leave tomorrow," he whispered.

Vara swallowed and tilted her head to look at him. He still had his eyes closed. Something took her over and she let go, sighing, resting her head on his shoulder.

He smiled when he felt her head hit his shoulder. He wanted to expect that it would happen, but didn't know if it ever would. He slowly opened one eye, smirking. Patroclus took his arm that she was leaning on and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

Vara surprised herself when she gave in and let Patroclus hold her. What surprised her even more was that when, even holding her, Patroclus leaned back onto the pillows, taking her with him.

She whispered something into his ear that he did not hear with the loud pounding of his heart as she slid her arm across his stomach, over the bare skin she found there, onto his other side, getting closer to him.

It was almost unnerving to him, feeling his skin against his. Her head rested on his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his skin.

"I don't want to leave you..." she said. She didn't even recognize the sound of her own voice. It was like someone else speaking out, someone else who really _didn't_ want to leave Patroclus. She felt a pang of guilt when she told herself that the voice was still hers.

Patroclus smiled, kissing her on the forehead. Vara pulled herself closer to him, pressing more of her body against his, trying to forget the idea that he barely knew her and she barely knew him.

Vara frowned and suddenly pulled away from him, sitting up. His hand lingered on her waist. She knew she had to tell him goodbye. She just wasn't ready for it. Although she hadn't planned it and she barely knew him, she had bonded to Patroclus. She turned part of her body and looked at him.

He was still lying down, his hair lying on the pillow by his shoulders. She looked him over once more. Her eyes traveled over his slender, muscular body more than his face. She looked up. Vara looked into his eyes that told so much more, that held every feeling he told or kept locked away.

As she looked into his eyes, she could see his genuine need for her, how badly he wanted her to stay, how much he wanted to be with her. When she looked into his eyes, she knew how easy it would be for her to stay. But, after all, she barely knew him, and she had almost killed him.

Patroclus could see something in her eyes. Something in them told him that she _did_ want to stay with him, but there was something holding her back. He didn't know what though. He reached up and touched her hair, letting his hand find its way onto her jaw. She looked at him with apologetic eyes. She didn't understand him.

Vara didn't even know if she loved him. If he even loved her for that matter. Even though she felt something, she just didn't trust it. She couldn't decide what to do with her life on a feeling like that. For one moment, she had almost wished it was that "fantastic, amazing love", the kind where you need not know much about the other person to madly fall for them, the kind where you just look at them and can't help but sigh and smile, and the kind of love where you crave the next moment that that person speaks to you or touches your skin. Almost like the love described about Briseis and Achilles.

But what was she thinking about? That sort of love only came to one couple every 500 million years! And after all, Vara hadn't exactly been a very luck person in all her life.

She looked at Patroclus again. The look in his eyes made her quickly avert her gaze. She doubted she had gotten lucky this time and found that true love. If she was ever going to find that sort of love, was Patroclus the right one? Or was everything she felt betraying her?


	18. Chapter 18

Vara sat on the beach. She had left Patroclus, claiming she didn't feel well and was in need of fresh air. She could see a few torches on the ships anchored in the sea, but now, she lay on her back, looking up at the sky. She couldn't see many constellations, but one star was enough for her alone.

She blinked, sighing. She wished everything with Patroclus wasn't so complicated. She knew part of her wanted to love him. Maybe she just wasn't made to love...

"What do you see in those stars?"

She almost jumped at the sound of a voice so near. It wasn't Patroclus, that she was sure of, but Achilles. Vara didn't move her gaze from the dark sky. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, sitting on the sand beside her, on her right. She tilted her head to the right, like she would turn to speak to him. She never moved her eyes.

"It depends," she answered, "What do you see?"

Achilles sighed, thinking of Briseis. He frowned.

"Never you mind, I asked, 'what do _you _see?' "

It was her turn to sigh. She didn't know how to respond. Sometimes, to her, they were just stars, nothing more. Sometimes they were the all-seeing eyes of the dead. And at times like these, her mind reverted back to what Troilus had told her what he saw in the stars that night.

"The stars are the Gods fate for us all," she said, repeating her friend's words.

Achilles smiled. "And what do the 'God's fate' say about you?"

Vara smiled. "I am neither prophet nor psychic, dear Achilles. Only some may read the stars; the rest of us can only look and wonder."

"So you wonder about what the Gods have in store for your fate?"

"I care not what my fate is," she said honestly, her voice a mere whisper.

Achilles sighed.

"Even if it means leaving Patroclus?"

She did not answer at first. "One's fate does not revolve around one person."

"Even if they're in love with you?"

She sighed. "Patroclus does not know his emotions."

"Like you do not know yours?"

"Love is for the weak who cannot survive on their own and their excuse for needing someone else is 'love' "

Achilles smirked and shook his head. She had certainly thought this subject over many times.

"Love is the reason for which people live."

Vara scoffed. "Live? As in living for the time they may find love or living for the one they love?"

Achilles smiled. "Aren't they one in the same?"

Vara didn't answer. Achilles turned his head towards her, looking at her, trying to figure her out.

"Why are you so bitter and untrustworthy about love?"

Neither of them knew the answer to that question. Vara should've been overly happy to think she had found love; many a maid her age had been already married into a ruthless, loveless marriage, but she wasn't overly happy. She hadn't the slightest inkling why not, either. Nothing in her life would have made her feel that way about love either, so there was no reason for any of it.

"I don't know. I'm not sure I trust my emotions about Patroclus."

Achilles sighed. He knew how Patroclus felt about her, but he wasn't sure about how truthful she was. He wasn't sure, either, if Patroclus thought she was worth it all, like Briseis was to him.

"Don't pretend you are in love if you aren't, and don't deny that you're in love if you are. You're either in love or you aren't. You must decide now. If you deny someone's love, you will never get it back. Especially Patroclus' "

Achilles stood up and left her there, thinking about his words. Vara swallowed. She didn't know if she cared about him or not, or what was holding her back. She wished she knew. She wished she could love him. Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. She had to figure it all out tonight. _'Damn'_

* * *

Now, after all you know about Vara, do you think she loves Patroclus or not? I want to know your opinion, so, please, email or review saying what you think.

Troilus will be introduced in following chapters for all you people questioning about him. REVIEW PLEASE!!!


	19. Chapter 19

Vera sighed. The stars had ceased to amaze her long ago in the night. She had just lain there, on the sand, thinking. She knew that, whether she liked it or not, she would have to face Patroclus again before she went back to Troy. She got up, shaking sand out from the fabric of her dress. She turned in the direction of Patroclus' tent, but taking one last look at the sea.

She reached into the single pocket of her dress, withdrawing Achilles' letter to his lover. Vera traced her fingers around the edges of the folded parchment. She resisted opening the letter and reading it, in hopes getting a mere glimpse of what real love was.

She shook her head, slipping the paper back into her pocket, smoothing her hands over the front of her dress. Vara closed her eyes, tucking strands of hair behind her hair and crossing her arms over her chest; she wasn't sure if she wanted to remember anything about the time with Patroclus. She swallowed. She just didn't want to risk getting hurt again.

She was afraid of what could happen. But at the same time, there was an equal chance that Patroclus wouldn't be like that, he wouldn't do that. Vara wasn't sure. If something _did _happen, Vara wasn't thinking about the pain she would feel, her trust betrayed and what not, just the fact that she wasn't sure if she would be able to get over him.

As Vara took a step forward, a pair of hands encircled her waist. She instantly jerked away from the pressure they caused. Had it been someone friendly, those hands wouldn't have almost cut off her circulation.

The more she pulled, the worse the grip became. As she was pulled to the ground, she felt stupid, she should have expected something like this to happen. She reached her arms over her shoulders and dug her nails into a pair of shoulders behind her.

As she kicked, she felt her attacker's head jerk upon an impact, the body falling slack. Vara didn't stop and turn around, she just ran, her hair flailing out behind her. She heard footfalls after her as she ran. They were light and quick. As she neared tents, she sprinted into the shadow of one, into the darkness to catch her breath.

She had just reached the darkness, slowing her pace only to a jog, when a hand grabbed her arm softly, pulling her in the direction she had just come. She didn't have time to react as her body was being pulled against another. When arms slid around her, she ceased to resist.

She found her comfort in those familiar arms. The warmth of them around her, holding her safely against him, made her close her eyes, almost thinking that that feeling she felt with him would keep her safe and happy forever.

Vara buried her face into his chest, sliding her hands and arms up his chest and over his shoulders. Strangely, his body seemed less muscular to her. As her hands glided over his shoulders, her hands barely came in contact with his hair, the top of her hand only brushing the bottom of it as her arms wrapped around his neck. Patroclus' hair was almost past his shoulders. She stopped. This wasn't Patroclus.

Vara slowly raised her head, unsure if she even wanted to know who that was. But she felt as if she already knew. She had only known comfort like that twice in her life. One was, she thought, gone forever, while the other she debated over. Only one other person could hold, or _pretend _to hold her like that, other than Patroclus. And that, was Troilus.


	20. Chapter 20

She slowly looked up, pulling away. An utterly familiar face stared down at her, almost smiling. Vara frowned and ripped herself from his grasp. Standing before her in the darkness was Troilus.

Troilus took a step forwards, reaching out to her. Vara pulled her arm away from his attempted grasp. His face fell and he let his arm drop back down to his side. Vara almost saw pain and hurt on his face. She tried to make herself not believe it.

"Come with me," he said. Vara almost shuddered at the sound of his voice. "If you stay here, they'll kill you; do not think they wont."

"They won't kill a prince of Troy, then? If I am in 'danger' here, how is it that you are not? The army must have a tiny bit of hate for Prince Troilus. And I do not think I will be safe with you," she said slowly.

She studied his face. His dark hair was parted and fell almost to his shoulders. His eyes were dark and blank; she had never seen them that way before. Every time she looked at him, something inside her panicked. It was almost as if her heart was preparing itself to be broken again. Preparing to be hurt in every way possible again.

"What are you even doing here?"

Troilus stared at her blankly. "One cannot live without love forever..."

His eyes looked truly sincere when he said it. She wished she hadn't fallen for him and his charm once. Vara looked at him again. He was handsome, yes, but he had used it to his advantage once upon a time. The way he spoke, acted, and looked was enough to seduce any woman he set his mind to. She had been the worst of victims. Troilus had a set way of loving, or, well, pretending to love, that had made her fall for him. But that was all no more.

Vara blinked, her eyes roamed over his face and body. She had loved that man once, but the way he felt and the way he looked was not returned, she thought.

"You gave that up every time you hurt me."

Troilus frowned and stepped towards her. "No," he said softly, "You know I didn't mean to..."

Vara didn't say anything. It was hard enough seeing him again; it was worse speaking to him. He was asking her back, but not because he loved her. She had loved him but he had not loved her. She had once put her heart out to risk and it never paid off, it just took her all downhill. She wondered if he ever did care about her. He probably did in the beginning, but at the end, she didn't know.

Besides, she should've been the one to take HIM back, not the other way around. He had caused everything to end sour.

"Troilus, you need to leave-"

"Not without you"

Vara took a deep breath, trying to avoid his eyes. "No, Troilus. I won't go back with you."

"You have found something here that is better than me?" he asked in spite and bitterness, mocking her. Vara didn't say anything. She just gritted her teeth, that was all.

She took a deep breath. If she had been the person she thought she was, she would've been able to walk away. But only the time with Patroclus reminded her of how she used to be and how she could be. Vara turned her back and took a step forwards.

She realized that if Troilus ever found out about Patroclus, he'd kill him. If he killed Patroclus, she wasn't sure if Troilus expected her to fall into his arms again. Either way, with both living or not, she knew she would never do that. Then she also realized that if Patroclus found out about Troilus and what he did to her, Troilus was as good as dead. She felt good that Patroclus would do that for her. She knew he would.

Vara felt Troilus' fingers wrap around her wrist, pulling her back. He pulled her so she had to face him. They were only inches apart and Vara looked up at him. The look in his eyes were apologetic and wished for forgiveness. She knew how easy it would be to go with him, to leave with him. But she knew she couldn't love him like she used to. He was part of the reason she denied her love of Patroclus.

She pulled back and he let her. If she had stayed any longer she might've made a stupid decision. She thought she loved him, but she was scared of what he could o to her. He was so unpredictable. Neither of them saw the shadow against the tent near them, watching, listening.

"Come away with me," he pleaded softly. The way his voice sounded almost made her nod, then her thoughts snapped back into reality. Suddenly, she was filled with an emotion of fear. She didn't like it that she was afraid of him. If she left with him, only the Gods would know what pain she would undergo. If she left with him, there was an even possibility that he would be her killer one day. If she left with him she would never know what could have happened with Patroclus. He was the one who cared about her, not Troilus. She couldn't leave with him. The shadow disappeared and neither of them noticed.

She hugged herself and shook her head vigorously. Too vigorously. He saw it.

He frowned, angry. "Vara, this is your last chance," he warned. He would not let her stay with someone other than him.

"If you do not lave to stay with me, you must at least leave this place and come back to Troy-"

"I will go back to Troy...eventually."

She remembered her promise to Achilles that she would deliver his letter. She wasn't lying when she spoke about Troy.

"But-" he started.

"I am safe here and you are not. You need to leave."

He slowly nodded. "You are still mine, don't ever forget that..."

Vara smirked and shook her head. "No, never again."

Troilus raised an eyebrow, thinking that she would be his once again. But for now, he would leave her. He wondered who had captured her heart as he once did. He didn't want to think about it.

"Till we meet again, fair lady," he responded seductively, bowing in front of her. She could feel the anger building inside of her, threatening to lash out at him. After all, she still had that dagger in her dress. He flashed a knowing smile at her and with that, he was gone.

Vara shivered. The presence of him around her was too much. She hated the way he made her feel. She remembered everything when she was around him. The way she still feared him and the feeling of waiting until he lashed out at her.

But then there were the other feelings that the other part of her felt. The part that remembered that she had loved him. The way if felt to want and need something so badly, like a craving nothing could satisfy. Now, she denied everything. She still felt that way, but just not about Troilus.

It was about Patroclus that made her think. She was almost sure now what her decision about him was.

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Now we know more about Troilus. You'll get more info in chap. 21. The more reviews, the faster 21 gets up! REVEIW PLEASE!!


	21. Chapter 21

Vara took a deep breath standing outside Patroclus' tent. She didn't hear him inside. She brushed hair off her face and found herself smoothing her hands over her dress, making herself more presentable. She felt nervous. She pulled her hands back and scoffed at herself. _'It's just Patroclus!'_

She moved the leather strips covering the door away and stepped in, not knowing what she would find. Vara looked around the tent to see Patroclus lying on his back on the bed; he didn't have a shirt on.

When he saw her, he propped himself up on one elbow, smiling. He was pleased to be in her company again.

"I thought you had left," he said, barely above a whisper. She could hear in his voice he was happy she was still there. Vara subtly shook her head, swallowing.

His smile faded when he read something on her face. He could sense something was wrong with her. He started to get worried. Patroclus frowned and sat up, getting up off the bed. She recoiled back a step as he stood near her. His face showed confusion. She stepped forward, telling herself not to be stupid. Something was unnerving her and he knew it.

"Vara?" he asked softly, trying to soothe the thing that ailed her.

He tried to think of something to say but couldn't find a word. Patroclus looked at her, trying to read her emotions and not having any luck. Vara looked him in the eyes and knew that there was so much to learn about him. He was trying to understand her.

She broke her gaze and brought her hand up to his hair, running her fingertips through it, trying to get her mind off of the things that were in it. Patroclus tilted his head and took her wrist, bringing it down in front of him. He didn't want her to hide her true feelings. He knew something was wrong, no matter how hard she pretended. She looked at him. He glanced at her and realized how vulnerable she looked. His blue eyes searched her green ones. He took a deep breath.

"Tell me about Troilus."

Vara's lip trembled. She didn't know how he had found out about him. She didn't know how Patroclus would take it, hearing about her past love. She took a deep breath and looked down, shaking her head slowly.

Patroclus slipped two fingers below her chin, tilting her head upward. She looked at him the same way she had looked at Troilus only moments before. She shuddered, it was that demoralizing. She had always been strong in front of him, and only now did she feel defenseless. She did not want to talk about Troilus, especially in front of the man she truly cared about. But it would be the death of her if he knew it.

He wanted to know and she didn't want to say.

"Tell me," he whispered softly, his eyes begging hers.

She turned to the side and shook her head again. "I can't, Patroclus," she said shakily. She hardly recognized her own voice when she said his name. The silence he brought made her want to look at him, she needed to see what he felt. He looked like he was thinking, but only on one subject.

His face was so solemn, so hurt and she didn't know why. His eyes pleaded and begged her to tell him. "I just want to understand," he whispered. Vara was beginning feel angry.

"I left him, Patroclus," she said with a sigh, "I left him and I never want to speak to him or see him again."

"Then how is it that every time he looks at you, I see love in his eyes."

Vara frowned slowly. He had said something he never intended for her to hear. Patroclus sighed.

"I saw him, Vara, I saw you talking to him, I see the way he looks at you..."

He was fighting for her, and he knew it. Fighting with her just to get her to stay, fighting her emotions for Troilus, and fighting for her to hold on one moment longer, instead of walking away from it all. In his eyes, she was worth it all, every fight, no matter how painful.

"If you saw everything, you would know what I said to him."

He didn't say anything. He had walked away before she said anything, he didn't want to hear any more of it. Vara took a deep breath.

"I don't want to talk about him. Everything that was once there isn't anymore. I won't go back to him, no matter what. Nothing can make me go back to the way things were. _Nothing_."

She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him.

"Patroclus," she started slowly, "I don't love him anymore..."

She tilted her head down, hiding from his gaze, but only to stare at his bare chest. Her words had lifted some of the anger he felt. He was glad he hadn't shown all his anger towards her. If he had, she wouldn't have been standing right there in front of him at that moment.

"But I don't love you," she said trying to sound strong, raising her face only when she had finished, "I can't."

She was beginning to lower her voice. She was starting to feel guilty. '_Damn_'

"Why not?" he asked.

She looked at him sincerely. "Because I don't want things to end with you the way the did with Troilus. I won't be able to handle it a second time around..."

"Why are you so sure things would end that way? If they ended at all, that is?"

"And," she continued, "I can't stay with you forever."

"Is that what you think?"

She nodded. "It's better to be whole and lonesome rather than being broken here." 

Patroclus cocked his head to the side, one of the gestures she loved about him. She winced.

"What makes you think you will end up broken?"

She didn't say anything. He didn't say anything, either.

She looked at him again. It was all to complicated for her.

"I'm leaving in the morning," she said, turning to leave.

He took her arm, holding her back. She let out a sad sigh and turned towards him. He had wanted to say something to make her stay, but couldn't find the words; he only just stared at her.

"What could I say that would make you stay here?"

She smiled slightly.

"I have to go back to Troy, I must deliver Achilles' letter."

"But you don't have to stay in Troy...you could come back here."

"You don't want me to stay, you can find someone better"

"No," he said, "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because there is no one like you"

She gave him a solemn look.

"You deserve someone better than me."

"There is no one else who could make me feel the way I feel about you, even when I'm around you."

"Patroclus," she said softly but firmly, she wanted him to stop. If he said anymore, she might not be able to control how she felt.

"Please stay," he whispered softly.

Vara looked at him and her eyes showed apology and sincerity. "I'm sorry," she said. She wasn't sure if she really meant it or not. If she stayed, they would both end up hurting. If she rejected him now, she would never get a second chance.

She closed her eyes, thinking over the pros and cons

He had only kissed her once, but had anxiously awaited the next time things would lead to it. Patroclus looked at her again. She still had her eyes closed and he wondered what she looked like when she slept. She took a deep breath, slowly opening her eyes.

Vara looked at him and he smiled warmly. She couldn't help but slowly smile back, almost making her blush. He took a step forwards and she was still thinking.

He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her against him. She could feel his body pressing against hers; she could feel all of his muscles. With him holding her waist, her arms lay free at her sides. As he leaned towards her, her hands smoothed up his bare arms. Vara involuntarily wrapped her arms around his neck and felt his lips touch hers.

His arms slid around her back and pulled her even tighter against him, but not so much that she could still breathe. Her fingers twisted in his hair and his traced tiny circles on her back.

His body tensed as she pulled back, resting her head on his bare chest, skin against skin. He buried his head in her hair and sighed. Holding her against him, he wished she would never leave.

He pulled back slightly to see her face.

"Does this mean you're staying?" he asked cautiously. She slightly smirked.

"This is a war, Patroclus, wars don't last forever."

"Yes, but love does," he said, smiling, his eyes lighting up. Vara sighed, his arms still around her and hers around him.

"Love is overrated," she said, then kissing him lightly on the lips. Her kiss was almost burning. But burning in the same way that craving and needing love is felt.

"So, you _are_ staying?"

"A kiss doesn't answer such questions..."

"Well, then, answer them."

She sighed.

"I'm leaving in the morning."

Rather than let her finish, he kissed her again. This time, she lost all sense of navigation of her

emotions. Love doesn't heal things, time does. When time fails you, look for other means of comfort and answers. Vara answer, for the moment,: Patroclus.

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Is that the end of the night? Hmmmmm..... I wonder.......but wait, I already know! I am the author, so I know all. Please Review!! In requests of some reviews, they will soon get "mushy-gushy lovey" in the words of Kelsey, my beloved review, reader, and BEST FRIEND! woot woot! anyways, Review and there will be more chapters and they will be better!!!


	22. Chapter 22

Patroclus sighed. He loved Vara, he really did. He didn't want things to go too fast and he knew that was one of the reasons she held back. She didn't want to be hurt again. Gods damn him if he ever hurt her. It was the last thing he wanted. He didn't even like it when she was confused about him.

Vara looked at him. He smiled. She finally made herself realize that she had fallen for him in the worst way possible. She loved him.

But this was a war. People died in wars. People who are cousins of famous warriors died. There was a chance Patroclus would die. If she admitted to him that she loved him and he died, she wasn't sure if she would be able to deal with it. She didn't want Patroclus to die.

She sighed, closing her eyes. He looked at her. She didn't want to lose him; something would be destroyed inside her if it ever should happen.

He knew she was thinking. She opened her eyes and met his gaze. Her chest clenched and tightened as a tear slipped down her cheek. '_I _do _love him'_

Patroclus stepped forwards and pulled her to him. The moment her body touched his, he took a deep breath, memorizing the way she felt. The way she felt where her body was curved and smooth where it was supposed to be, the way it felt with her body pressed against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he slid his around her waist and around her back, holding her tight against him. It was then that she realized that she didn't want to leave him, ever. As much as she had tried to deny it, she really did love him.

"I don't want to leave," she whispered softly. He loosened his arms slightly and leaned down, his lips brushing her neck, kissing her gently. She almost shuddered.

"So don't," he whispered into her ear. She chuckled quietly and said, "I promised Achilles I would deliver his letter..."

"Then I shall go with you..."

"No," she whispered back, "Your place is here, to fight, the reason you came here."

"My place is with you."

She buried her face in his chest and shook her head, sighing.

"You came into this war to fight, that is what you should do."

He pulled back from her, staring into her eyes. "I'm going with you, Vara, whether you like it or not."

She smiled. "If we are leaving tomorrow, we should both get some rest."

She pulled away, turning towards the door. She didn't know where she was heading. To talk with Achilles, maybe? She didn't know. She felt his hand grip hers and pull her back ever so slightly. She turned to face him slowly.

His next question was more hesitant. "Stay here with me?" he asked, wishing both for comfort and to soothe his lady in turn. Vara thought about it, then nodded slightly, and allowed Patroclus to draw her towards his bed.

Patroclus lay upon his back and he reached up to her, gently taking her hand and slowly pulling her down onto him. He met her lips in a soft kiss, pulling her body against his side. His heart screamed happiness. Vara pulled away and rested her head on his shoulder, her arm flung across his chest, holding herself against him. His arm was around her and he could hear her heart beating, her breath upon his chest.

He felt her solid warmth building against him and he smiled. He felt her breathing begin to soften and start an even tempo, she was falling asleep in his arms. She felt safe lying beside him, something she hadn't felt in a long time.

He tilted his head and kissed her neck, and then her forehead, seeing her smile. He loved it when she smiled. Once again her breathing relaxed and he thought she was asleep. Looking down at her, curled against him, he didn't know why he said it, she wouldn't even hear him, he thought, but he said it anyways. He lowered his voice to a whisper and said it in one breath, the breath that was taken away every time he looked at her and when he said it.

"I love you."

He closed his eyes, feeling her against him, knowing she would not hear those words that night. But she did. She heard every one of those little words he whispered and she cuddled against him subtly.

With as much courage as she thought she had, she wasn't sure it she would have the courage to tell him that she did as well.

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Awwwwww!!!!!!!!!! If you love this chapter as much as I do, you will be happily surprised, for they get even more lovey and stuff! **Please review!!!!!!** More reviews, the more chapters!


	23. Chapter 23

I got a new review from Chapter 22 today and it asked me to possibly continue, even though it's been 4 years. I thought, what the hell, why not? It's probably HORRIBLE but it's something.

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She had rolled away from him in the night. She woke up with his arms around her, it unsettled her more than comforted her. She was being stupid. She had fallen for someone too fast the last time and it was happening again. Vara was angry. She sat up, turning her head away from him. She got up, shaking her dress so it fell against her comfortably. _Damn him._

Vara swallowed and let out a long breath. Nothing was going to stop her this time. She had done what she had said, she had gotten him out of that jail. Her task was done. She took another dagger from his tent and looked back. He was laying in the same position, his arms empty and she could see the outline of her own body against the sheets and his body. His face looked pleasant and serene, handsome. A face like that could get killed easily. Attractions led to feelings, feelings led to commitment and dependence, dependence meant utter chaos if anything should happen to him. Vara knew that she couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't be the cause of him getting killed.

It was still dark out, and the moon gave little light. The given glow reflected off of the surface of the sea in an almost mesmerizing way. She took a deep breath and stepped away from the tent, towards Troy. She had remembered Achilles' letter; she tried to always keep her promises.

She didn't want to make things more confusing by staying. If she wanted to live, she couldn't love him. She didn't want to. Vara was back at square one. One night sleeping in Patroclus' bed wouldn't change her mind that drastically.

She sighed and shook her head. She took a step forwards and noticed a figure sitting outside a nearby tent. His head turned towards her. She grumbled and began walking towards Troy.

"Do you think it is wise?" the voice called out, "Leaving?"

Vara paid no attention to the menacing voice and kept walking. The man who was speaking was trying to stay anonymous, but she already knew that it was Achilles. He began to walk behind her, away from the beach.

"Stop following me."

"Who said I was following you? I am merely taking a walk."

"Achilles, it is the middle of the night, you are not taking a walk, as I am not. I'm going back to Troy and delivering your letter, that is your concern, let it end there."

"Oh, please believe me then, when I say that my concern stretches as well to my cousin."

She stopped, she was getting angry. Vara felt like they've been over this many times already. She turned around, letting her breath out loudly. The wind was blowing coldly and it made her shiver.

"Achilles, Patroclus does not need your protection. You taught him well, you don't need to worry."

Achilles came to face her, looking down into her angry, cold eyes. He was oddly surprised to see no emotion in her eyes, just cold darkness. It unnerved him.

"I taught him to protect himself physically, able to defend himself in any war or battle. He does not, however, know how to protect his own heart. You seem to know how to protect your heart, if you even have one. I will not stand by and watch you play with him and let him get hurt, distract him so that when he goes into battle, he will be injured or killed."

Vara brushed the hair from in front of her eyes and shifted her weight, she put a hand on her hip and took a deep breath. She kept an eye on the shadows made by the tents, she wouldn't let herself be surprised again.

"I am not playing with Patroclus. He needs to learn not to wear his heart on his sleeve, offer it up to anyone."

Achilles blinked angrily. This damn girl knew what she was doing and it angered him.

"You said you do not love him. You let him kiss you and you sleep in his bed with him, yet you say you do not love him. You bring him back here unhurt and safe so that he will not be killed and you say you do not love him. Every chance you've had to leave him and get away, you haven't, you've stayed. You say you do not love him but your actions display quite a different story."

So he was right. Vara couldn't deny that. "That is not love. Concern for someone is not love. You and your cousin may throw that word about and tell your women that, but not me. Patroclus won't love me if he doesn't want to. He thinks it's love. He doesn't know any better."

Achilles laughed bitterly. "So that's what you think? He believes he loves you and that you feel some kind of similar attraction. When he wakes up tomorrow morning, what do you think he'll think?"

Vara leaned closer to him. "That is not my problem."

Vara began to walk towards Troy, confident that she was doing the right thing. Of course she was. Walking away from something before it has a chance to set in stone is easier than waiting around for it to become solid and trying to walk out.

"He'll follow you," Achilles called.

Vara turned around. "No," she said, "He won't."

"If he thinks he loves you, he will follow you. He won't let you get away that easy."

_Stupid boy. He'll get himself killed._ Vara crossed her arms, the cold was getting to her.

"If you let him go, you are sending him to certain death. If he looks for me, he will not know where to look and he will not find me."

She turned back around and began to walk away, but again, Achilles' voice followed her.

"He will not find you, or you will not allow yourself to be found?"

Hope it was somewhere near par.


	24. Chapter 24

Wow, so sorry it's taken forever for me to update. Four years is a long ass time, as I've been recently reminded that was the original date of this fanfic. It prompted me to update again. Hope it's okay :-D

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Vara dropped over the wall

Vara dropped over the wall. Climbing up it had been hard, especially in a dress. She was surprised the Trojans hadn't seen her. As her feet hit the ground, she crouched down, getting as low as possible, already drawing out the dagger. She crept a few steps, pulled her hair away from her ears, and listened. The torches burning crackled and she could hear only the night patrol walking the streets lazily. She stood up slowly, expecting to be seen. Nothing.

She slipped her dagger back into her dress and slowly, beneath the shadows, crept alongside the walls of the Trojan houses. She had to get to the palace, and of course, be unseen. _Deliver Achilles' letter, and I am OUT of here!_

The palace was guarded heavily, Vara could see the guards standing at attention, sleepy attention, but attention none the less. She stood in the shadows and contemplated the best way to get inside. Sneaking in, she would only be caught. Walking straight up to the guards wouldn't help either. The guards that knew her that would usually let her in, would know she should have been in jail.

_Wait. Paris let me out. Technically, I'm free._ Vara took in a long breath, shaking slightly. She was out of that stinking jail, Gods damn her if she ended up back in there!

She began to walk slowly up the palace steps, her head down in obedience. She heard the guards shift their weight and wake up more as she approached them.

"What is your business here?" a thick voice said.

"I am here to see Paris," Vara said quietly, she raised her head slowly. She didn't meet the guard's eyes. She would have on any other occasion, palace guards are the worst of them, with no other duty they are fit to do. She held her voice steady, like she was talking to a child.

"I am here to see Paris," she said again.

"Oh, are you?" the thick voice said. Vara recognized it but didn't raise her head. The man stepped closer to her.

He leaned over her. His mouth was next to her ear when he said, "I thought you would have been here to see me…"

Vara rolled her eyes. He was _that _type. She raised her eyes as he touched her shoulder. It was Arod.

Vara smiled and pushed him away playfully. "You're horrible! What are you doing here?"

Arod smiled. "Too much time in the jail, I figured it was time I got some fresh air. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Paris."

"By the way, how'd you get out of that cell? I knew it was only a matter of time, but how?"

"Paris." She said. He would not be in trouble for letting her out.

"It makes sense then why you're coming to see him. You _are _coming to see him, aren't you? _Not _Troilus?"

"No, definitely not Troilus. It's Paris I need to see."

Arod smiled. He had been kind to her at the jail. He made sure she was never in a cell with anyone else. He knew what happened to women when they were alone with men, especially criminals. He knew Vara could defend herself, but still, he wanted to help.

"Go in," he said winking, "But I didn't do this for you."

Vara smiled. As she stepped past him, she touched his shoulder, "Thank you."

Once she was in the Grand Hall, she looked over her shoulder to make sure she was not being followed. _That was easier than I thought it would be._

Vara made her way down the corridor, the torches giving it a dim light, but the shadows remaining shadows. It had been a long time since she was at the palace, and Briseis had not lived in the palace for a while, but Vara knew her old room and she was bound to be there.

Vara came upon Briseis' door, it was heavy oak, and closed. Vara could hear her crying inside. She sighed, she hoped she wouldn't have to stay and comfort the woman, she just wanted to get in and get out, deliver the letter and be gone.

She knocked.

"Who is it? What do you want?"

"Briseis, it's Vara. Open the door."

There was slow movement inside the room and then the door's lock clicked. The door cracked open. Briseis stood there, her face swollen from crying. As Vara slipped inside, Briseis went to her bed and laid down weakly.

"I'm sorry, I cannot stand, I am too weak."

Vara nodded, reaching into her dress and pulling out the letter. "Achilles sent this for you."

Briseis' eyes lit up. "Achilles?"

Vara nodded, handing her the letter. Briseis snatched it eagerly, ripping it open. She read it quickly, smiling and breathing heavily. "He- he sent you with this?"

"Yes," Vara said, already moving towards the door.

Briseis read the letter quickly, scanning it. "Did he say anything else? How did he look? Is he okay?"

Her eyes were frantic, nervous. Too nervous for Vara to handle. Vara nodded. "He's fine."

Briseis wanted her to stay and talk. Vara didn't have time for that. She didn't want to stay while Briseis reminisced and cried over her lost/impossible lover. Definitely no time for that. Vara backed away, her hand on the door.

"You're leaving?" Briseis asked, looking up, her eyes welling up with tears. Vara sighed. She had been caught. Leaving now wouldn't be so easy.

"I…uh…I have to get back to the Spartan camp to tell Achilles that I delivered his letter," Vara lied, "and to….uh….tell him that you look well….and….you…..uh….miss him….and……well…..I need to be going."

Briseis' eyes lit up. Achilles. Vara tried to keep her eyes from rolling. She smiled quickly and before Briseis could say anything or quickly draw up a reply to the letter, Vara slipped out the door and closed it behind her.

_Oh, thank the Gods I got away._ Vara thought, grinning. She turned and bumped into a chest. A manly chest. Wearing royal robes. _Oh Gods….what now??_

Vara looked up. Her gaze met two chocolate brown eyes and sleep-matted curly hair. Paris. Vara smiled. "Paris."

"Vara, why on earth would you come here?"

"I have some unfinished business…."

Paris looked around the corridor. "At this hour? Interesting…"

Vara nodded, trying to slip away and hoping he would get the hint. "Yes, Paris, unfinished business, but now it's finished and now, I'm leaving."

Vara turned away and began walking away. Paris didn't move to follow her. But his voice did. "Troilus would want to talk to you…"

Troilus. Vara turned around and began walking briskly towards him, angry and about to show it.

"Paris. You helped me. I helped you. If you _ever_ speak to Troilus about me again," she was right in front of him now, not backing down, "I _will _kill you."

She glared at him. Paris swallowed. He could defeat men in battle, yes, but they fought by the rules of war. She didn't.

Paris nodded. "That's why I intend to say nothing to him."

"Good." Vara turned again and stormed down the hallway. Hopefully this was the last time she would be in the royal palace. She did not enjoy its atmosphere. At all.

* * *

Vara walked quietly down the streets. It was late. Her desire to stay hidden and the slink in the shadows had dissipated. She knew where she was going and she had every intention on getting there quickly. It would be dawn soon. If anyone were to see her, it would make no difference, it wasn't that strange to see people walking around the city this early in the morning.

She rounded the corner, it wasn't far now. The street was the same as when she had last seen it. Windows and doors were shut, but she could still find the right now. Vara came to the old wooden door with the black handle and she went in.

There was a candle on the table, like always, set the night before. Vara closed the door behind her. There were two rooms off the center dining room. Vara went to the left, feeling along the wall for the candle that usually was there. She found it, lit it, and moved it.

She came to the old trunk, opening it.

"Vara, if I knew you would be visiting at such an odd hour, I would have waited up."

She smiled. Vara leaned over and looked through the doorframe to the dining room. The old woman sat at the table, a shawl around her shoulders, her elbow on the table, her chin in her hand.

"Well, if I knew I would have disturbed you, I would have come later."

Vara went back to looking in the trunk. She heard the woman sigh. "If you're looking for a fresh dress, they're in the bottom, like always, dear."

Vara smiled. "Elyia, what would I do without you?"

Elyia laughed. "I often ask myself the same question. Weren't you in jail when I last saw y ou?"

Vara found a green dress at the bottom of the trunk, standing up. "I was, I'm out now. Have you been taking care of yourself?"

Vara slipped off the dirty old brown dress, letting it fall on the floor.

"I have, dear, and yourself? I trust you haven't gotten yourself into more trouble?"

Vara smiled, pulling the green dress over her head. "I always get myself into trouble, Elyia, you should know that by now."

Vara rounded the corner, coming into the room. Elyia smiled. "Beautiful as ever, more and more each time I see you."

Vara smiled, coming close to Elyia, leaning down and hugging her, kissing her cheek. "It's been a long time."

Elyia smiled warmly. "It has, child, it has been a long time. Here, sit, let my braid your hair."

Vara complied, sitting next to Elyia, turning her back to her. Elyia braided her hair back from her face and pinned it in the back, letting the rest fall down.

"Now," Elyia said, her hands in Vara's hair, "How long will you be staying _this_ time?"

Vara shrugged. "I don't quite know, honestly."

Elyia rubbed Vara's shoulders. "You're _so _tense, Vara…"

Vara smiled, closing her eyes and looking down. She heard the door open but didn't look up. Not many people came to visit Elyia, so anyone that it was, they could be trusted.

Elyia's voice lightened. "Ah, did you find everything I asked for?"

A man's voice answered. "I did."

Elyia smiled, her old hands gripping Vara's shoulders. "Well then, we'll have a splendid breakfast."

Elyia stood up, being careful to steady her old frame against the table, to which Vara turned and helped, without looking at the stranger. As Elyia moved towards him, Vara looked up, smiling. Patroclus.


End file.
